FUKUOKA, July 20 — Chinese divers edged closer to another clean sweep at the world championships in Japan today with their 10th gold medal of the competition so far.

Wang Zongyuan defended his title in the men’s 3m springboard with a score of 538.10, finishing ahead of Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra on 507.50 and China’s Long Daoyi on 499.75.

China won every diving gold at last year’s world championships in Budapest and they are on course for a repeat performance in the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka.

Three more golds are up for grabs with two days of competition remaining.

Wang, who won silver in the event at the Tokyo Olympics, vowed to support his team-mates in their search for another clean sweep.

"I will keep going until the end — we have two more days to go,” he said.

"Although I don’t have any more competitions, I will be there for my team-mates.” — AFP