Diving queen Guo Jingjing won a record fourth consecutive 3m springboard world title yesterday, but China's iron grip was broken with Russia's Gleb Galperin clinching the men's 10m platform.

No other diver in the history of the world championships has managed to win four titles in the same event.

Guo was in a class of her own throughout the preliminary rounds and in the final to keep China on track for a clean sweep of all 10 diving golds here.

The photogenic 25-year-old reigning Olympic champion scored 381.75 points, opening with a near perfect backwards two-and-a-half somersault in pike position to signal who was boss from the outset.

Wu Minxia, Guo's customary strongest rival for the gold medal, recovered from a poor qualifying session to easily finish second with 368.80.

Italy's Tania Cagnotto was third with 341.70. Russia's Yuliya Pakhalina was expected to claim a medal but botched her fourth dive, a reverse two-and-a-half somersault in pike position, and finished fifth.

Guo said everything she was doing was focused around preparing for the Beijing Olympics next year.

"I think the biggest rival (in Beijing) will be myself, but I really don't want to think about it. The thought of being there simply scares me at this stage," she said.

Guo has already said she will retire after the Olympics, and said she had always enjoyed competing at the world championships.

"It has always been an important event. I received my first gold in 2001 and then in 2003, while, I was preparing for Athens.

"In 2005, it proved my capabilities in winning, and this year, it is again preparing me for Beijing next year."

Wu said while Guo won yesterday, the Olympic title remained wide open.

"Actually, everyone who participated in the finals here has the potential to win. It's just that it might not have been a great day for them today."

Cagnotto was overwhelmed with getting bronze.

"It means a lot because being third after the Chinese is a big result," she said.

"The first dive is very important, and I did well so that gave me a lot of good feelings. I knew a lot of other divers were fighting to win medals so it became a mental competition."

Galperin glory

Guo's gold meant China had won seven out of seven diving titles here but the drive to snare all 10 came to an end when Galperin upset Zhou Luxin.

Galperin amassed 554.70 points to Zhou's 519.15 with China's Lin Yue third with 513.70.

Zhou had comfortably led through the preliminary rounds, looking odds-on to claim the title, but Galperin was bubbling with confidence after scoring a perfect 10 for his fifth dive in the semis earlier.

He took an early grip on the final and Zhou was always playing catch up. He performed a flawless last dive, scoring 102 points, in a bid to rein in the Russian but it was to no avail.

Canadian superstar Alexandre Despatie was eighth.

Two more diving events remain - the women's 3m synchronized and the men's 10m platform synchronized, both today.

Source: China Daily/agencies