Synchronized Springboard, Women

As China had won seven out of eight synchronised diving gold medals since it was introduced in 2000 there was no reason to think it would be anything other than another two more gold medals in Rio. China possessed one of the greats of the discipline, Wu Minxia, who was the World Champion in 2011, 2013 and 2015, and also a four-time Olympic gold medalist in 2004, 2008 and 2012. She teamed up with Shi Tingmao after the 2012 Olympics and the pair had become unbeatable, winning all 14 competitions they had competed, including the 2013 and 2015 World Championships and 2016 World Cup. Despite Minxia being over the age of 30, there was little to suggest that would be a barrier as she sought another gold in Rio, and she did just that as Minxia and Tingmao held off the challenge of the Italian pair of Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallapè with the Australians Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith taking bronze despite lying eighth and last after round two. Going into the fifth and final dive thety were still trailing in fifth place but a final score of 71.10 promoted them into the bronze medal position ahead of the Canadian and Malaysian pairs. The Chinese pair led from the first round and clinched it with two outstanding dives in rounds four and five as Minxai became the first person to win five Olympic diving golds.