Synchronized Springboard, Men

While defending champions Wang Zongyuan and Xie Siyi were both competing in Paris, only Wang returned to the synchronized springboard event. With his new partner, Long Daoyi, he had won the 2023 and 2024 World Championships (and also the 2022 edition, with Cao Yuan). Behind the Chinese, the event was pretty much open. The other Tokyo medalists were not returning, and medals at the past Worlds had been divided by five duos, four of whom were entered in Paris.

Long and Wang started strongly, claiming top scores in their first two dives. However, after they entered the water with bent legs on the fourth dive, they saw Juan Manuel Celaya and Osmar Olvera of Mexico at the top of the leaderboard. Long and Wang regained the lead with their next dive by just 1.08 points. The Britons Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher were also less than seven points behind.

For the last dives, the Chinese pair went first, recording the highest scores of the competition. The performance of the Mexicans seemed to be very close, but they received one point less from the judges. The resulting silver was Mexico’s first ever medal in the event. Celaya had finished an unfortunate fourth in Tokyo. Wang became the second person to win the synchronized springboard twice, after Qin Kai in 2008-12.