SAINT-DENIS, France — China remained on course for an unprecedented Olympic diving sweep, taking the top two spots in the semifinals of men’s 10-meter platform Saturday.
In the final diving event of the Paris Games, Cao Yuan posted the top score of 504.00 points, followed by teammate Yang Hao at 490.55. That gave them in the last two positions in the afternoon final, which featured 12 divers.
Japan’s Rikuto Tamai rounded out the top three in the semis at 477.00. The lone American, Brandon Loschiavo, finished next-to-last among 18 divers and failed to advance at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in suburban Saint-Denis.
The 29-year-old Cao was looking to defend his platform title from the Tokyo Games and capture the fourth gold medal of his stellar career. He also won the springboard at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and a synchro gold on the 10-meter platform at London in 2012.
The last male diver to go back-to-back on the platform was American Greg Louganis at the 1984 and ’88 Summer Games.
Yang already captured a gold at these Games, teaming with Lian Junjie to win the platform synchro title during opening week at the diving pool.
China won the first seven diving golds in its quest to become the first nation to claim all eight since the diving program was expanded from four to eight events at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The last sweep of any kind was the United States taking four golds at Helsinki in 1952.
The U.S. once dominated the diving events, but China began its rise to prominence with its first gold in 1984 at Los Angeles. Beginning in 2000, the Big Red Machine has captured an astonishing 45 of 55 gold medals in diving.
With teams limited to two divers in the individual events, China had already claimed gold and silver in women’s platform and men’s springboard.
The only slip-up at these Games, if one can call it that, was Chang Yani settling for a bronze behind Australia’s Maddison Keeney in women’s 3-meter springboard.
Otherwise, it’s been shear perfection for the world’s diving superpower. Before Saturday’s final, China had seven golds, two silvers and one bronze - only one fewer medal than every other nation combined.
If Cao and Yang both make the podium in the final, China would equal the 12 diving medals it had at the Tokyo Games. The only other nation to win that many at a single Games was the U.S. in 1932, when the Americans swept the medals in all four events at Los Angeles. Nine of the 28 divers were from the host country.
The Americans finished these Games with only a single medal, the silver won by Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook in women’s 3-meter synchronized. It was their worst Olympic performance since they were shut out of the medals at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Over the last three Olympics, the U.S. claimed a total of 10 medals.
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