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Chen, 25, and Chang, more than two years her
junior, kicked off the competition with a back dive in the pike
position to loud cheers from the fans, many of whom were dressed
in China's team jacket and waving national flags.
"Today we performed normally but we have higher standards for
ourselves when it comes to the scores. We need to keep working
at it," Chang, who looked emotional after winning her first
Olympic gold medal, told reporters.
Americans Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook, who performed the same
routines as Chen and Chang, gave the Chinese duo a scare after
scoring equal points in the second round.
The Americans fell short in following dives, however, and took
silver with 314.64 points.
"I don't think we had our all time best performance out there
today, but we had a really solid performance and it's something
that I'm very proud of," a grinning Kassidy said. "I'm very
pleased with the silver medal."
"I think following the Chinese is a big responsibility almost,"
she said. "The Chinese hardly ever mess up but they kind of set
the tone for the competition and pushed me and Sarah to put
together five solid dives."
China have now won six Olympic titles in a row in the event,
which was introduced into the Games programme in 2000.
Spectators at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, a new venue built for
the Games in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, filled up the bulk of
the seats to create a festive atmosphere.
Many were draped in national flags and cheered as the divers
performed twists and somersaults before the final plunge.
China's Guo Jingjing, a four-times Olympic gold medallist in the
3m springboard event, refereed Saturday's competition and was
given a loud cheer when she was introduced on the screen.
Chen, the world number one, is set to compete with her best
friend Chang in the 3m individual event.
Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jenson took bronze, Britain's
first medal in Paris.
(Reporting by Kane Wu, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ed Osmond) [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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