The World Aquatics Championships diving competition concluded on Aug 3 with China once again dominating by winning nine of the 13 golds, while Australia (two golds), Mexico and Italy (one gold each) made breakthroughs.
For each of the three dives below, executive photojournalist Mark Cheong shot about 40 frames, selected around 15 and digitally stacked them to show the position of each movement. Meanwhile, senior sports correspondent David Lee and Singapore’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic diver Jonathan Chan took a closer look at these dives from three world champions.
Men’s 10m platform dive
In the penultimate round of the men’s 10m platform, Australia’s Cassiel Rousseau executes a back 2½ somersaults with two twists in the pike position to earn 91.8 points and secure his second world title after his 2023 win.
Chan said: “The 5255B needs a strong take-off to keep the somersaults going after the spin. You can see him leaning back to get that rotation, but it takes away a bit of his height, hence he finishes his somersaults a little later and closer to the pool.
“This makes the dive harder as he has less time for the finish, but his spatial awareness helps him adjust and make a clean entry into the water for a good overall dive.”
Each dive is represented by a three- or four-digit number, followed by a letter.
Men's synchronised 3m springboard
In the final round of the men’s synchronised 3m springboard, China’s Wang Zongyuan and Zheng Jiuyuan perform 4½ somersaults in a tuck position.
Chan said: “Speed and height are essential in the 109C. Both divers had a good hurdle, pushing off the board into a fast spin. Three metres is not a lot of time for 4½ somersaults, so they are already rotating as they go upwards.
“Their third spin essentially hangs in the air, with them completing the final spin just as they start going down. This leaves them with a solid 2.5m to 3m to locate the water, aim and stretch for the clean entry.
“The Chinese do synchro dives well. They focus a lot on their basics when they are younger so that they don’t have differing habits as they grow up, hence it’s very easy to pair them.”
Women’s 1m springboard
In the final round of the women's 1m springboard, Australia's Maddison Keeney executes a forward 2½ somersaults with one twist in the pike position to earn 72 points and secure her second world title after her 2017 win.
Analysing her winning dive, Chan said: “A good height is needed for the 5152B, especially since it is from 1m. Her hurdle is nice and stable, allowing her to get a good vertical take-off before she gets into her somersaults. She has nice power from the take-off, giving her a comfortable height after her twist to stretch towards the water and finish it off.
"The entry is a little short (under-rotated), but that is a small issue. Her body is neat – legs straight, toes pointed – which adds points to the overall dive.”