Sydney Uni scholarship holders Matthew
Mitcham and Alexandra Croak claimed medals over the weekend at the 2010 FINA
Diving World Cup in Changzou, China.
The highlight of the tournament was
Mitcham’s gold medal in the men’s 10m platform on the final day of competition,
a repeat of his gold medal that captured the hearts of Australians at the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games.
Mitcham was fourth after the first two
dives but stormed home with a flawless new dive – an armstand-back double with
a two-and-a-half twist – that earned perfect 10s from the judges.
“Today is my lucky day! My performance can be called perfect. It is a very
close competition in which everyone shows his best and that pushes me to try my
best, too.
“It’s much harder for the champion today than it was two years ago at the
Beijing Olympics,” Mitcham admitted to the media after his victory.
“Even though this is my second PB in a
month, I still don’t feel I have dived my best and there is still room for
improvement before the London 2012 Olympics.”
Croak combined with NSWIS athelete Melissa Wu in the women’s 10m platform
synchro to win the silver medal behind the ever-powerful Chinese duo. Although
the pair finished 18 points behind their Chinese competitors, their cohesion at
the world cup in the synchronised events will provide an excellent platform to
continue their preparations for Delhi.
