SYDNEY, Australia — The Russians swept the first two events as synchronized diving made its Olympic debut, beating the powerful Chinese in men's 10-meter platform and women's 3-meter springboard.
Americans Mark Ruiz and David Pichler were a disappointing seventh in the men's event. The United States didn't even qualify for the women's competition Saturday (Friday night EDT).
"We know we could have medaled," said Ruiz, the 21-year-old rising star of American diving.
Dmitry Sautin added to the individual gold medal he won in Atlanta, teaming with Igor Lukachin on platform to score 365.04 points. They beat the Chinese team of Hu Jia and Tian Liang, who took silver with 358.74.
Jan Hempel and Heiko Meyer of Germany won bronze at 338.88.
Vera Ilina, in her third Olympics, teamed with Yulia Pakhalina to give Russia the gold in springboard.
China's Fu Mingxia was denied a record-tying fourth gold medal. She settled for silver with Guo Jingjing.
"We tried very hard to catch up but we couldn't do it," Fu said. "In terms of practical skill, I think they are better."
American Greg Louganis is the only diver to win four Olympic titles. Fu will have another chance to equal that mark in the 3-meter individual competition.
The bronze went to Ganna Sorokina and Olena Zhupina of Ukraine.
Ruiz, whose mother brought him from Puerto Rico to the United States so he could pursue diving, was clearly the strongest member of his team.
Pichler, a sixth-place finisher at the 1996 Atlanta Games on platform, struggled with his last three dives.
"Our synchro was right on," Pichler said. "Unfortunately, my dives weren't particularly spectacular. I focused a little too much on synchro. I left the last two dives a little short. It made a big difference."
The Americans finished at 321.69, beating only the French in the eight-team field and a whopping 43.35 behind the winning Russians.
Pichler apologized to his partner.
"He has nothing to be sorry about," Ruiz said. "He's been a great partner. We both gave it our best. He was a little bit out of energy.
"I felt so good. I thought, 'I've got to keep my adrenaline down.' He's a little tired. His adrenaline wasn't there."
Ruiz will get a chance to shine on his own when he takes part in both individual events. Pichler, 32, is in the individual platform and synchronized springboard.
"Right now, I'm very disappointed," Ruiz said. "It's just going to push me even harder."
Sautin, 26, broke the Chinese stranglehold on diving with his 10-meter victory in 1996. The Chinese won the other three events.
Sautin and Lukachin briefly dropped to second behind their rivals after round three, but clinched the gold with their two toughest dives.
The Russian women led from start to finish in the 3-meter, totaling 332.64 points on their five dives. China finished at 321.60.
"They're awesome," Ilina said. "They were great today, but we were better."
The Ukrainians were a distant third at 290.34.
The 26-year-old Ilina, who won NCAA championships for Texas in 1997 and '98, had never finished higher than sixth in individual Olympic competition.
The synchronized event, in which divers leap at the same time from adjacent boards and are judged on execution and synchronization, gave her a chance to finally climb the medal stand.
"I can't believe it yet," said Ilina, who flashed a "Hook 'em, Horns" sign. "I have been going for it since I was 7. I'm just so happy."
Fu was only 14 when she won her first gold on the 10-meter platform at the 1992 Barcelona Games. She followed in Atlanta with a sweep of both women's events, but won't get a chance to become a three-time platform champion.
Now 23, she was beaten out in China's national trials by two younger divers.
Those two — 15-year-old Sang Xue and 16-year-old Li Na — were 1-2 after the preliminaries of individual 3-meter on Friday. Sang had 374.79 points on five dives, while Li held second at 366.60.
Laura Wilkinson of The Woodlands, Texas, appeared to be a medal contender. She had 331.20 points in her first Olympics, placing fifth in the prelims and setting her sights on the Chinese.
"I think they can be caught," said the 22-year-old Wilkinson, diving with a foot that was broken in March. "It's still anybody's game. These scores don't count for final. They just get you there."
The top 18 advanced to the semifinals on Sunday (Saturday night EDT), to be followed by the evening final at Sydney International Aquatic Center.
The other American, 21-year-old Sara Reiling of Roseville, Minn., slipped into the semis with a strong final dive that vaulted her from 23rd to 16th with 282.84 points.
The Chinese women have won four straight golds in the platform.