SAINT-DENIS, France — Cao Yuan defended his title on the men’s 10-meter platform on Saturday, securing an impressive collection of gold medals in diving for China at the Paris Olympics. The Chinese national team, often referred to as the “Great Red Machine,” won all eight gold medals contested at the Olympic Aquatic Center, with most victories achieved convincingly.

However, the final diving event presented a challenge. Cao had to shoulder the responsibility of completing the clean sweep, as his teammate Yang Hao experienced an unusually poor performance, while Japanese diver Rikuto Tamai pushed hard until a misstep in the second-to-last round. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old Cao was prepared for the task.

Cao clinched the gold medal with high scores on his most difficult dive of the competition, a forward 4.5 somersault in the fifth of six rounds. He finished with a total of 547.50 points, making him the first male diver since Greg Louganis in 1988 to win gold in consecutive Olympic Games from the platform. Cao now holds a total of four gold medals in his career, having previously won at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 and London 2012 Olympics.

In the final standings, Tamai secured the silver medal with 507.65 points, while British hopeful Noah Williams took home the bronze with 497.35 points. Cao Yuan, Tamai, and Williams posed together after the competition, which took place on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

With this achievement, China has further solidified its dominance in diving, establishing itself as one of the most successful nations in this discipline in Olympic history.