World champion pair of Wang Feng and Qin Kai clinched the first gold at the 2008 National Diving Championships by winning men's three-meter springboard synchro in Heifei, Central China on Wednesday.

Wang/Qin, winner of the event at 2007 Melbourne World Championships and 2008 FINA World Cup, made six high-level dives to lead the final. Their winning mark was 458.22 points.

"We performed our normal level," said Wang, the Shandong veteran. "I am not satisfied."

"It might because we just arrived here yesterday and we were not familiar with the stadium," added Wang. "We played a lot of competitions earlier this year, so we are tired."

Luo Tutong and Lin Jin of Guangdong trailed at 448.53 to finish in the second place, while Zhang Xinhua and Li Shixin of Chinese Navy took the bronze at 433.86.

"I think we are very lucky to finish third," said Li Shixin. "We did not dive well, and there were some other pairs doing better than us in some dives."

The National Diving Championships, serving as an Olympic qualifier, runs from Mar. 19 to 24.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2008)