By PAUL NEWBERRY
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — With Tom Daley out of the way, China is another step closer to an unprecedented sweep at the Olympic diving pool.
Lian Junjie and Yang Hao breezed to gold in the 10-meter synchronized platform Monday to give the Big Red Machine its second straight gold medal of the Paris Games.
The three-time reigning world champions finished with a whopping 490.35 points, receiving several perfect 10s from the judges and no marks lower than 8.0. They nailed their final dive, a forward 4 1/2 somersaults in the tuck position, to clinch the gold.
Before the final marks were even posted — all 9.0s and 9.5s — the Chinese coaches were hugging and celebrating. Fans waved Chinese flags in the stands at the new Olympic Aquatics Centre, next door to the Stade de France in suburban Saint-Denis.
China, which has dominated the sport in the post-Greg Louganis era, is trying to become the first country to claim every diving gold medal since synchro was added in 2000, doubling the program from four to eight events.
Since that expansion, China has won 40 of 50 golds, including seven of eight at each of the last two Summer Games.
In Tokyo three years ago, China’s only setback came in the men’s 10-meter synchro, when Daley and Matty Lee pulled off the upset for Great Britain as China took silver.
This time, the roles were reversed. Daley and new partner Noah Williams settled for a silver at 463.44. The bronze went to Canada’s Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray with 422.13, edging out fan favorite Mexico (418.65).
The United States did not qualify for the one of the eight Olympic berths.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
