Analysis: Five key words on Diving World Cup Super Final's new format

By sportswriter Zhou Xin, Li Chunyu and Gao Meng

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The head-to-head competition format left five key words as the World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final wrapped up in Beijing on Sunday, with China dominating all nine events at the National Aquatic Center.

The newly introduced competition format made its debut in Beijing. In this setup, the top 12 divers in individual events were seeded based on their rankings and paired accordingly. Each athlete selected three dives, with the lower scorer in each matchup being eliminated. The six semifinalists were then split into two groups, with the top two from each advancing to the final.

CONSISTENCY

In a sport where high difficulty meets routine execution, veterans face off against rising stars, and luck can swing outcomes, consistency emerged as a decisive factor.

"It seems like all about consistency. You don't have to do perfect dives, but you have to do everything consistently," said the sixth seed Moritz Wesemann of Germany, who claimed bronze in the men's 3m springboard.

Chiara Pellacani of Italy, who narrowly missed the podium in the women's 3m springboard, agreed: "You must stay consistent at a very high level in this format."

Australia's Maddison Keeney, who secured bronze in the same event, added: "The most important factor is being able to perform steadily, regardless of conditions."

FUN

The revamped format added a new layer of excitement, energizing both competitors and audiences.

"I think it's great fun for spectators - they get to watch head-to-head duels, semifinals, and finals all in one go. It's fast-paced and very engaging," said British Olympic champion Jack Laugher.

Keeney noted: "It's all about fun. I don't know if I would like it in every competition, but it's something really good and different. I would be interested in watching the voice from the stands. I think the crowd enjoyed it."

"I don't really aim to get medals, I aim to have fun and obviously the more fun I have, the better I do. So this competition was amazing. The fans are amazing. Beijing is amazing, and I competed here," said Cassiel Rousseau of Australia, a gold medalist at the Fukuoka World Championships in 2023.

MENTAL FATIGUE

Chinese rookie Chen Jia secured victory in women's 3m springboard but felt stressed by the new format. "I was unfamiliar with the new format and felt under pressure at the beginning," said the 20-year-old Chen.

"I got really nervous in the competition, and I struggled with my dives. I was usually very nervous, and my hands and fingers were still shaking right now after the award ceremony. It's a lesson in learning how to control my nerves and being able to perform even when I'm nervous," Keeney said.

Pellacani said the challenge was more mental than physical: "You compete for two straight hours - it's mentally exhausting."

Laugher explained: "You have to be mentally focused on the competition within two hours by using a lot of brain power. And this isn't like what we would do in the daily training session."

Rousseau added, "It was very exhausting. My entries in the final were very splashy because my brain was very tired."

PHYSICAL STRAIN

Wang Zongyuan, a two-time Olympic synchro champion, admitted fatigue set in despite his gold medal in the men's 3m springboard. "I started strong, but by the final, I was drained," he said.

Triple gold medalist Chen Yuxi, who also took home the Best Female Diver Trophy, shared: "I felt dizzy and speechless after the event. The format is a huge challenge, especially in learning to relax and reset between rounds."

Quan Hongchan, a two-time Olympic champion famed for her flawless entries, also battled fatigue. "With the competition packed into under two hours, I had trouble even climbing the platform. It's hard balancing my height and weight now," said the 18-year-old.

LUCKY DRAW

Laugher missed the final despite scoring higher in his group than the top two divers in the other group.

"It's a little bit unfair to split into two groups depending on your draw in the semifinal - you might have a harder group to make it to the final; someone like Jack Laugher, who had an awesome performance, didn't make it," said Wesemann.

"I think this is a really good learning curve for all of us. I'm really happy I did a good performance, but I would have loved to be in the final and fight for the medals," said the 30-year-old Laugher.

As the only active member of the World Aquatics Athlete Committee, Laugher is advocating for revisions to the draw system and qualification criteria.

"I am gathering feedback from fellow competitors and advocating for changes in the draw settings and qualification criteria moving forward. We hope to enhance the attractiveness of diving competitions for audiences and television viewers," he concluded. ■