He steps out of brother’s large shadow
Print Edition
KISSING the gold, He Chao was in tears when he stood atop the podium for the men’s 3m springboard medal ceremony at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. He proved he can be the best, which has proved difficult his entire life since his older brother is He Chong, an Olympic and three-time world diving champion.
He Chao overcame the pressure of facing Olympic champion Ilia Zakharov, home crowds and the shadow of his brother in the 3m springboard final for a winning total of 555.05 points. Zakharov finished second with 547.60 and Jack Laugher of Britain was third with 528.90.
“I finally made it. I am He Chao, the world champion now,” he said, “I want to give this title to my brother He Chong since he did not make the team.”
Chinese divers have won the 3m springboard title going back to 2007, when Qin Kai claimed victory. He Chong followed with three consecutive golds in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Now He Chao stands atop the world.
“I guess my brother must be happier than I am,” said the 23-year-old, “I am finally standing on the top of the podium at my first World Championships. I did it for him.”
The men’s 3m springboard was the most dramatic event in the diving competition with the lead changing hand several times in the first few rounds. He Chao jumped into the lead for the first time in the fourth round and never relinquished it.
Zakharov produced the best score for a single dive, racking up 106.40 points for his last dive — a forward 4-1/2 somersault beauty — just before He stepped on to the diving board. He performed the same dive, executing it well for a score of 102.60, enough points to claim gold.
“I was under great pressure because of Zakharov’s high marks and because of the strong support by the fans for Zakharov,” he said, “It was an overwhelming atmosphere. But before I stood on the springboard, I looked at my team manager and suddenly I felt calm and cool.
“I focused on my own dive, nothing else was in my mind when I was on the springboard. I knew that it was up to me regardless of how well the other divers performed. It was a great and hard-fought battle.”
He, who placed 7th in the 1m springboard, admitted that performance provided extra motivation to perform his best in the 3m.
“I was disappointed with my performance in the 1m springboard. My nerves got the best of me. I did not answer all the phone calls and messages from my friends and family. I just kept thinking and learning from my failure. That failure motivated me to win the 3m,” He Chao said.
As the younger brother in the same profession, He Chao said he is used to being compared with He Chong.
“I am used to it. He is my role model and I have never thought about beating his career record,” the diver said, “I just want to be myself and the best that I can be.”
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