RIJEKA, Croatia, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- 13-year-old Jiang Yuehan and 14-year-old Yuan Qingcheng won the girls' synchronized 10m platform title at the 2026 World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships here on Saturday, securing China's first gold medal of the event.
The competition was disrupted by heavy rain, with the third round halted twice. Jiang/Yuan nevertheless maintained their consistency and won on 317.28 points.
Mexico's Adriana Torres Martin/Suri Cueva Lobato took silver, while Russia's Aleksandra Kedrina/Viktoriia Kazantseva overtook an Australian pair in the final round to claim bronze.
Suri's twin sisters Mia and Lia Cueva Lobato secured a 1-2 finish in the girls' B 1m springboard event a day earlier, meaning all three sisters reached the podium over the opening two days of competition.
Jiang and Yuan were the youngest pair in the synchronized platform field. They only began diving together about a month ago, but took the lead after the second round and remained in front for the rest of the competition.
"I know I'm the youngest and I'm a little bit nervous today. This is my first time competing outside, also in the rain, but I wanted to take China's first gold," Jiang said in English after the final.
Yuan said that although they had not been paired for long, frequently training with different partners had helped them quickly adapt to each other's rhythm.
It was China's second medal of the championships after 15-year-old Chen Xiangling won bronze in the girls' B 1m springboard.
Also on Saturday, Germany's Finn Awe won the boys' A 3m springboard, ahead of Russia's Matvei Pomoshnikov.
Maori Pomeroy-Farrell took bronze, securing Fiji's first medal at the junior diving worlds.
Born in Canada to a Fijian father and training in Guadalajara, Mexico, since 2019, Pomeroy-Farrell became the first athlete to represent Fiji in international diving at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
"It's truly an honor to bring back a medal for my country," he said after reaching the junior worlds podium despite spraining his right ankle in training on Monday.
The championships continue on Sunday with the girls' A 1m springboard and boys' B 10m platform finals. ■
