Zhou Leads Prelims on Men's Platform

All the leading contenders for a medal advanced to the semifinal round of men’s platform diving at the 2008 Olympic Games. China’s Zhou Luxin led the 30 divers with a prelim score of 539.80, followed by Aussie Mathew Mitcham with 509.60, and Gleb Galperin of Russia at 499.95.

U.S. divers David Boudia and Thomas Finchum advanced easily, finishing in sixth and seventh.

The unique aspect of this final event at the Water Cube, is that any one of the top divers from prelims has a legitimate chance to not only medal, but win gold.

Consider the fact that the field contains the 2007 World Champion Galperin, 2008 FINA World Cup Champion Sascha Klein (Germany), 2008 European Platform Champion Thomas Daley (Great Britain), 2008 FINA World Cup bronze medalist David Boudia, 2007 World Championship bronze medalist Thomas Finchum, 2008 FINA Grand Prix champion Matthew Mitcham, and 2004 Athens silver medalist Mathew Helm (Australia). The presence of these divers should make this event the most competitive of the eight contested in Beijing.

If form holds true, Zhou’s score will not hold up in finals. The winning score for each of the individual events has been, at a minimum, 20 points higher than prelim scores. Plus, this is the Olympics so expect each of these competitors to raise their level of “play” as they advance out of prelims.

If I were a betting man – and I am, I would have to guess that it will take a score close to, or above 560 to win this competition. Galperin’s winning score at the 2007 World Championships was 554.70, Klein won the 2008 FINA World Cup with a score of 556.85, and Boudia’s final round total at the U.S. Olympic Trials was 550.30. You can expect these divers to be on the mark for the semifinals and finals.

For Boudia and Finchum, platform is obviously the last hope to break the medal jinx that has been extended to almost two full Olympiads. It may be the last, but it also may be the best hope. Boudia and Finchum have been the most successful U.S. divers on the international scene for the past four years.

So it comes down to this, the final event of diving to determine whether anyone can break the stranglehold that the Chinese have gold. You know who the hometown crowd will be rooting for, who will you be root for?

Event Notes:

• China’s Huo Liang was a last minute replacement on platform for Lin Yue. The two teamed up to win the Olympic gold in platform synchro, but Huo replaced Lin due to his inconsistency over the past few months. Huo finished the prelims in eighth place.
• A total of three perfect 10’s were give out during prelims, two of which went to Mathew Mitcham on his inward 3 ½ in tuck. The other went to Zhou Luxin on his back 3 ½ in pike.

Men’s Olympic Platform Preliminary Results
Top 18 Advance to Semifinals

1. Zhou Luxin (China) – 539.80
2. Matthew Mitcham (Australia) – 509.60
3. Gleb Galperin (Russia) – 499.95
4. Peter Waterfield (Great Britain) – 497.65
5. Mathew Helm (Australia) – 484.40
6. David Boudia (United States) – 481.70
7. Thomas Fincham (United States) – 477.00
8. Huo Liang (China) - 472.95
9. Rommel Pacheco (Mexico) – 465.45
10. Sascha Klein (Germany) – 453.80
11. Jose Antonio Guerra Oliva (Cuba) – 443.20
12. Thomas Daley (Great Britain) – 440.40
13. Vadim Kaptur (Belarus) – 432.90
14. Riley McCormick (Canada) – 425.95
15. Reuben Ross (Canada) – 425.60
16. Jeinkler Aguirre (Cuba) – 423.75
17. Patrick Hausding (Germany) – 423.40
18. Juan Guillermo Uran (Columbia) – 418.00
19. Hugo Parisi (Brazil) – 412.95
20. Kostyantyn Milyayev (Ukraine) – 410.05
21. Aliaksandr Varlamau (Belarus) – 406.60
22. German Sanchez (Mexico) – 399.35
23. Constantin Popovici (Romania) – 392.30
24. Cassius Duran (Brazil) – 389.65
25. Francesco Dell’uomo (Italy) – 388.80
26. Bryan Nickson Lomas (Malaysia) – 384.35
27. Oleg Vikulov (Russia) – 375.40
28. Rexel Ryan Fabriga (Philippines) – 358.85
29. Anton Zakharov (Ukraine) – 344.95
30. Kim Chon Man (North Korea) – 328.85