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Defending Champion Xiong Ni Leads 3m Springboard Qualifying
Defending champion Xiong Ni of China led the field into the semi-finals of the men's Olympic 3m springboard diving competition Monday with 457.38 points.
World Cup bronze medallist Fernando Platas of Mexico qualified second on 444.60 points, with Olympic platform champion and world springboard title holder Dmitry Sautin of Russia in third on 444.51.
"It's my fourth Olympics so I'm used to it," said 26-year-old Xiong. "I felt normal. I just took it one dive at a time."
Sautin, 26, won gold in Saturday's synchro platform with Igor Lukashin, but did not perform at the same level Monday.
"I'm definitely still coming down after it. I exerted a lot of energy. However it was quite normal this morning. Everything went according to plan," said Sautin.
Sautin is bidding to become the first non-American man to win both the platform and springboard events at the same Games, and the fifth man to win consecutive Olympic platform titles.
Platas performed the highest-scoring dive of the final round with 86.70 points to pull ahead of Sautin.
1999 Pan American Games springboard champion Mark Ruiz of the United States finished in fourth position overall on 429.30.
The top 18 advance to Tuesday's semi-finals, with the 12-man final taking place Tuesday evening.
The Chinese, who took three of four diving golds in Atlanta, are still seeking their first title in Sydney.
Laura Wilkinson rallied in Sunday's 10m platform, to give the United States their first women's win on the tower since 1964, with China's Li Na in second.
Russia won both the men's platform and women's springboard synchronized events, a new addition to the Olympic diving programme, Saturday.
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