Peng Bo gave China their fourth diving gold of the Athens Olympics yesterday when he dominated the finals to win the men’s three-meter springboard title.
Peng, world springboard silver medalist, surged past Canadian teenager Alexandre Despatie, who had lead the two previous rounds, to win with 787.38 points.
Despatie, 19, achieved Canada’s first Olympic men’s diving medal, a silver, with a score of 755.97, with two-time world springboard champion Dmitri Sautin of Russia having to settle for the bronze in the event for the third time with 753.27.
Despatie dropped to third after his third dive of six - a reverse three-and-a-half somersault tuck - for which he was ranked tenth and failed to catch up until surging past Sautin with his final dive to snatch silver.
The 23-year-old Peng inherited the title which compatriot Ni Xiong won in Atlanta and Sydney.
It made up for the disappointment of missing out on the synchronized springboard title earlier in the competition after partner Wang Kenan tripped on their final dive resulting in them finishing last despite having led all the way.
It is the fourth title for China after Lao Lishi and Li Ting won the women’s synchronised ten-metre platform; Tian Liang and Yang Jinghui the men’s synchronised platform and Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia, the women’s three-metre springboard title.
