At the World Aquatics Championships held at Fukuoka in Japan, on Monday, Fernando Diaz Del Rio Soto of Spain created swimming history by becoming the first male solo event world champion.
Soto, 20 was the World Cup winner this year at men’s solo technical and mixed duet free events. He scored 224.555 points to win the debutante solo technical event.
Male swimmers have long participated in mixed events, but the World Championships in Fukuoka will mark the first time that men’s solo events and the mixed team event, the acrobatic, will be offered. Kenneth Gaudet of the United States won silver with 216.8000 points, and Eduard Kim of Kazakhstan came in third with 216.000.
Kim is also very happy with the historic moment, saying: “I am proud I will make history for my country. All the boys are doing great performances. It is amazing to be part of this sport.”
At the World Aquatics Championships, Lian Junjie and Yang Hao successfully defended their men’s 10-meter synchronised platform title, giving China a total of seven gold medals in diving.
With a score of 477.75, Lian and Yang won the title by 38.43 points over Oleskii Sereda and Kirill Boliukh of Ukraine. Kevin Berlin Reyes and Randal Willars Valdez of Mexico earned third place with 434.16 points.