MONTREAL — China picked up where it left off at the Athens Olympics, winning two gold medals in synchronized diving Sunday at the world aquatics championships.
The Chinese won six of eight gold medals in Athens, where the United States was shut out of medals for the first time in 92 years.
"I hope the Chinese federation would take all the gold medals and bring them back to China," diver Wang Feng said.
They are off to a promising start in Montreal.
Jia Tong and Yuan Pei Lin finished first in women's 10-meter synchronized diving with 351.60 points, easily outdistancing Australians Loudy Tourky and Chantelle Newberry, who had 334.89.
He Chong and Wang won the men's 3-meter synchronized springboard title with 384.42 points.
Jia, 15, and 14-year-old Yuan have been paired for nearly three months. Yuan is competing in her first international meet.
Slightly built and appearing younger than their ages, both girls giggled nervously and peered up at the microphone before pulling it down to their level.
"We didn't expect to win," Jia said. "This is a great feeling. I only got on the national team earlier this year."
The Chinese are showcasing some of their younger divers in Montreal to build experience for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
"The Chinese have always been dominant throughout my career," Newberry said. "We are getting closer. They're not impossible to beat, but very, very difficult."
Germany's Tobias Schellenberg and Andreas Wels were second with 364.59. American brothers Justin and Troy Dumais earned bronze with 360.27.
"It means more to us to be on the medal stand here than in Athens because the competition is better," Justin Dumais said.
The brothers were one dive away from winning 3-meter synchronized gold at the Olympics before winding up sixth.