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China's Chen Yuxi captured her fourth world title in the women's 10-meter platform, while Romania's David Popovici delivered a historic swim in the men's 100-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships on Thursday.
Chen, who led both the preliminary and semifinal rounds, secured gold with a score of 430.50 points. Germany's Pauline Alexandra Pfeif earned silver with 367.10 points, while 15-year-old Chinese diver Xie Peiling took bronze with 358.20 in her world championships debut.
Chen Yuxi of China kisses the medal after the awarding ceremony for the women's 10m platform final of diving at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, July 31, 2025. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
"Every world championship holds a special place in my memory," Chen said. "This time, under physical strain and the challenge of maintaining form, I was still able to deliver a 430-point performance. I'm very satisfied."
Chinese swimmers added two bronze medals on the fifth day of competition. In the women's 50-meter backstroke final, Wan Letian finished third in 27.30 seconds, behind American swimmers Katharine Berkoff and Regan Smith, who claimed gold and silver, respectively.
"I've overcome a mental hurdle," Wan said. "I wasn't very confident before, but standing on the podium at an international event has given me courage and helped me identify areas for improvement. I hope to go further in future competitions."
In the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay final, the Chinese team of Liu Yaxin, Yang Peiqi, Yu Yiting and Li Bingjie finished third behind Australia and the United States. Li, who previously won silver in the 200m and 400m freestyle, anchored the final leg.
"This was my first time swimming the anchor leg," Li said. "My teammates swam really well, so I just wanted to fight for the best possible result."
The men's 100-meter freestyle final was one of the most anticipated races of the day. Popovici clocked a blistering 46.51 seconds, setting a new championship record and securing gold. Jack Alexy of the United States took silver, and Australia's Kyle Chalmers earned bronze.
Popovici's time is the second-fastest ever in the event, just behind the world record of 46.40 seconds set by China's Pan Zhanle at the Paris Olympics.
"I'd give myself a 10 tonight," Popovici said. "I'm not the kind of person who usually says something is perfect, but I think today really was."
In the men's 200-meter individual medley final, France's Leon Marchand, who broke the world record in the semifinals, won gold in 1:53.68. Shaine Casas of the U.S. took silver, and Hungary's Hubert Kos earned bronze. China's Wang Shun, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, finished seventh.
Reflecting on his eighth appearance at the world championships since 2011, Wang noted the rise in competition. "Especially at this edition, you can feel the level has risen a lot - perhaps because everyone refocused after the Olympics."
Canada's Summer McIntosh set a new championship record in the women's 200-meter butterfly, winning gold in 2:01.99. Regan Smith of the U.S. and Australia's Elizabeth Dekkers rounded out the podium. China's Yu Zidi narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth.
In semifinal action, Qin Haiyang advanced to the men's 200-meter breaststroke final with the eighth-fastest time. Teammate Dong Zhihao finished 15th and did not advance. In the women's 100-meter freestyle, Cheng Yujie qualified for the final with the fifth-fastest time; Wu Qingfeng placed 15th. In the women's 200-meter breaststroke, Lyu Qinyao finished 10th and did not move on. Yu Jingming did not advance from the men's 200-meter backstroke heats.
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