Diving Competition: Lian Junjie Dominates Men's Individual All-Around, While Li Yajie Secures a Solid Victory on the Women's 1m Springboard

On the 5th, the diving competition of the 15th National Games continued at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Swimming and Diving Hall. In the men's individual all-around final, Olympic champion Lian Junjie, returning from injury, edged out veteran Cao Yuan—who was competing for the Beijing team—to clinch the gold medal for Shandong. Meanwhile, in the women's 1-meter springboard final, Shanxi's Li Yajie maintained a steady lead to claim first place.

On November 5, champion Lian Junjie from Shandong Team (third from left), runner-up Cao Yuan from Beijing Team (first from left), and bronze medalist Cui Zhangyu from Fujian Team (second from right) pose during the awards ceremony for the men's individual all-around diving event. Photo by Xue Yuge, Xinhua News Agency.

The men's individual all-around final required athletes to compete in six rounds each on the 10-meter platform and the 3-meter springboard. After undergoing surgery to repair a recurring dislocation in his left shoulder, Cao Yuan once again stepped onto the 10-meter platform and climbed to the top of the standings after the first two rounds. However, by the end of the fifth round, he had dropped to fifth place. In the subsequent six rounds on the 3-meter springboard, he surged back into second place during the ninth round, ultimately helping the Beijing team secure the silver medal. Shandong's Lian Junjie claimed the gold, while Fujian's Cui Zhangyu finished third, earning the bronze.

30-year-old Cao Yuan and 25-year-old Lian Junjie are both working hard to overcome injuries and return to the arena they love.

On November 5, Shandong team athlete Lian Junjie competes in the men's individual all-around 10-meter platform event. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Yuge photo.

After the competition, Lian Junjie kept a calm expression: "Cao Yuan is the 'god descending the mountain,' while I’m the 'climber ascending.' Beating him felt surprisingly peaceful—actually, I’ll continue to learn from him." He added that he hadn’t jumped off the springboard since the 14th National Games, and this time, despite not having fully recovered from his injury yet, he still faced a significant challenge. He admitted he’d put in a lot of effort on the springboard and expressed hope for an even stronger performance in the next competition.

Cao Yuan said, "I'm actually quite happy—this venue feels amazing to jump on. Though I still feel a bit disappointed; I think I could have done even better."

Speaking about his injury, Cao Yuan said he had undergone surgery previously and is now fully recovered—though he still needs to "activate" himself before the competition. "I still feel a bit tired, but I’m not at my absolute best. With a solo event coming up afterward, I really hope I can perform it flawlessly."

The women's 1-meter springboard final that evening was full of twists and turns, but Li Yajie from the Shanxi team remained firmly in first place throughout. She previously claimed the gold medal in the 1-meter event at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and this year she went on to win gold in the same event at the National Diving Championships, as well as a silver medal at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore. Meanwhile, Long Yiping from the Shaanxi team and Chen Jia from the Sichuan team secured the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

On November 5, Li Yajie from the champion Shanxi team (third from left), Long Yiping from the runner-up Shaanxi team (first from left), and Chen Jia from the third-place Sichuan team (second from right) pose during the women's 1-meter springboard diving medal ceremony. Photo by Xue Yuge, Xinhua News Agency.

After the competition, she said: "I wasn’t too focused on the score—my main goal was to execute each jump perfectly. Preparing for this event was actually quite challenging, especially since the final move (405C) is incredibly difficult; I practiced it almost every day."