China Dominates Speedo/FINA Diving Grand Prix

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., May 12. CHINA asserted its dominance in world diving at the three-day 2002 Speedo/FINA Grand Prix in Coral Springs, which ended today.

University of Texas senior divers Justin and Troy Dumais both earned individual medals over the weekend.
Justin Dumais, an 11-time NCAA All-American, earned his top finish of the meet by teaming with Mark Ruiz to win the silver medal in the men's synchronized platform. The duo scored 312.54 points, finishing just behind the first-place team of Yutong Luo and Xiang Xu of China (322.17).

In the men's three-meter synchronized springboard, Justin Dumais paired with brother Troy Dumais to land the bronze medal with a score of 287.97. The UT tandem's third-place showing gave Team USA its first medal of the weekend. Feng Warig and Tianling Wang of China took first with 340.89, followed by Dmitri Baibakov and Dmitry Sautin of Russia in second (320.58).

In the team competition, China won the contest with 52 points. Italy followed in second with 33 points andGermany placed third with 32 points. Team USA, which was comprised of both Dumais brothers and Ruiz, came in fourth with a score of 25. In the team event, divers complete two dives from three-meter, two dives from synchronized three-meter, two dives from platform and two dives from synchronized platform. A team can be made of 2-4 divers.

On the final day of the Grand Prix, the United States took two silver medals – men's platform and the women's team championship – to bring the total haul for the event to six medals.

Other medals during the week came from the men's synchronized platform team of Mark Ruiz (Orlando, Fla.) and Justin Dumais (Ventura, Calif.), silver; women's synchronized 3-meter team of Kimiko Soldati (Magnolia, Texas) and Erin Quinn (Toledo, Ohio), silver; men's synchronized 3-meter team of Justin Dumais and 2000 Olympian Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif.), bronze; and women's synchronized platform team of Soldati and 2000 Olympian Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Texas), bronze.

On men's platform, Ruiz, also a 2000 Olympian, put together a solid list to score 459.78 points and win the silver.

Winning the men's contest was Alexandre Despatie of Canada. Despatie dove for 463.83 points and prevented a Chinese golden sweep of the Grand Prix. China's Yutong Luo was third with a score of 449.46.

In the women's team championship, Soldati, Wilkinson, Quinn and 2000 Olympian Sara Reiling (St. Paul, Minn.) teamed up to win the silver for the U.S. The women's squad scored 37 points to first-place China's 48 and third-place Italy's 33.

On women's 3-meter, China's Minxia Wu won her second event of the Grand Prix with 339.42 points. She was also the champion on synchronized 3-meter with Yu Ting Yang.

Anna Lindberg of Sweden was the silver medallist with a score of 307.26, and Italy's Tania Cagnotto came in third with 298.53 points.

For the United States, 2001 Goodwill Games 3-meter bronze medallist Soldati placed fifth with a score of 275.49. Michelle Davison (Columbia, S.C.), a 2000 Olympian on 3-meter, qualified to compete in the finals but withdrew with a back injury. Initial examination shows a back spasm, and she expects to be back in the water in a few days.

Up next is the 13th FINA Diving World Cup, June 25-29, in Sevilla, Spain.

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