Xie Siyi: I didn't expect such results

Xie Siyi surprised the audience with his unexpected  breakthrough towards gold at the very moment when everyone was getting used to the thought that Mexico’s Ocampo will stay unbeatable. It seemed that the dramatic final will be a truly historic event as Jahir Anhel, the diving machine, finished first in the preliminaries whereas the Chinese diver was second.

“I feel nervous, I didn’t expect such results!” the newly crowned gold medallist humbly said to reporters.

As it turned out, the athlete has no experience under his belt and the pressure that Chinese divers have to face all the time was noticeable only in the preliminary round. After the prelims everything became easier:

“In 2014 I switched from platform to springboard and at the moment I don't have that supreme confidence I experienced before. So far I’m not 100% sure.“

Today Illya Kvasha, who was the silver medallist in Barcelona two years ago, earned not only silver, but love of the Aquatics Palace’s spectators. His technique is sure to inspire admiration.

“I am very satisfied with my performance. Competitions are unpredictable every time. Today I could handle my nerves and pull myself together. Thank you, everyone who was cheering for me, thank you, Kazan!” the Ukrainian diver shared his emotions with the journalists.

Illya revealed that it was harder in Barcelona due to the fact that he had to compete at an outdoor pool there. It was easier in Kazan thanks to the fans, both Russians and Ukrainians, who greeted him with applause, Kvasha proving to be a favourite with the public.

The bronze medallist, Mike Hixon, made a truly titanic breakthrough by the end of the event in order to get on the podium. Passions had been running high before he interfered. Initially, the US diver did not count for any medal: “It is an honour for me to compete against the world’s best divers”. Hixon explained the delay of his last dive. Actually he submitted a dive with a DD of 3.4, while the scoreboard showed 3.1, but this was just an operational bug that was quickly corrected.

This final was not marked by the loss of the Chinese team; on the contrary, it became a celebration of their another triumph, and a fully deserved one.

Press Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships