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Fu retains springboard title for fourth Olympic gold

From Sports Illustrated • SI Images: Photos from the Games • Tim Layden: Jones' quest just beginning • Richard Hoffer: U.S. always faces long odds in boxing competition • Alex Wolff: Dutch have a great time while winning • Michael Farber: Russian volleyball coach the Bob Knight of Volga • E.M. Swift: Racewalkers should be lifted from program • Brian Cazeneuve: 'Fighting' Lopez clan shares the joy of gold • Medal Picks: SI's Predictions More Features • Day at a Glance: Diving into history • Wake-up Call: Tracking the day in sports • Viewers' Guide: Sept. 28 • Quiz: Today's Tester Athletes • Just Checking In: U.S. baseball assistant Ray Tanner • Just Checking In: U.S. soccer player Brian Dunseth Multimedia • Photo Gallery: Women's soccer -- Joy and pain • Photo Gallery: Shots of the Day • Multimedia Central: Photo Galleries, Video and More

SYDNEY, Sept 28 (AFP) - Fu Mingxia of China won a mighty battle to retain her Olympic 3m springboard title here Thursday and in the process achieved a record-equalling fourth career Olympic diving medal.

Fu, who had been trailing team-mate Guo Jingjing going into Thursday's final, and fell behind during the first three dives, snatched the gold in dramatic fashion on her final two dives.

Despite dropping to ninth following her second forward three and a half turn somersault, Fu came back to nail three top dives in a row.

She achieved a total of 609.42 points, with Guo winning silver on 597.81, and third place going to European silver-medallist Doerte Lindner of Germany on 574.35.

The final was, in effect, a duel between the two Chinese who were in a league of their own.

But Fu's experience paid off and the 22-year-old was able to count on that to see off the challenge from Olympic novice Guo.

The younges-ever world champion at age 12 in 1991, Fu won platform gold in Barcelona, and went on to win gold in both the platform and springboard in Atlanta.

But burnt out as an 18-year-old after Atlanta, she retired and went to university only returning to international competition at the 1999 World University Games in Palma.

Fu, whose name means "beautiful sunrise," wanted to become the first diver ever to win five gold medals, leap-frogging over retired Americans Greg Louganis and Pat McCormick on four each.

But the dream was shattered when she and Guo had to settle for silver behind Russia's European champions Vera Ilina and Yulia Pakhalina in Saturday's inaugural synchronised diving 3m springboard final.

It was the third diving gold for the Chinese team Thursday and their fourth of the Olympics after Xiong Ni and Xiao Hailiang won the men's synchronised springboard title and Li Na and Sang Xue won the women's synchronised platform. Xiong also won the men's individual springboard.

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