DIVING : XIONG DIVES FOR CYCLE WITH SPRINGBOARD GOLD.

Byline: Associated Press

Three Olympics and three medals for Chinese diving star Xiong Ni, the latest one gold.

Xiong and countryman Yu Zhuocheng pulled away from Americans Mark Lenzi and Scott Donie midway through the springboard finals Monday night. Not even Lenzi's final spectacular dive could catch them.

Xiong won a silver medal in 1988 and a bronze in 1992, both on the 10-meter platform. Yu, in his first Olympics, finished second, and Lenzi, the defending champion, took third.

Donie, 27, was in third after a strong fourth dive. But he had a poor fifth dive, a reverse 2-1/2 somersault from a pike, and dropped to fifth place.

The 28-year-old Lenzi, who is retiring after the Summer Games, improved from ninth to third on the final day of competition.

``I tried to enjoy myself more this morning, tell myself this is just a diving meet,'' he said. ``It might happen to be at the Olympics, but, if I don't do anything, so what? I've already got a gold medal, and I'm giving it my best.''

He accomplished that on the last dive of his career, a reverse 3-1/2 somersault from the tuck position with a high degree of difficulty of 3.5.

Lenzi received a 92.40 from the seven judges, the highest score of finals night, to put pressure on the Chinese.

Yu was the next-to-last diver and needed a 78.73 to beat Lenzi for second place. He got 83.16. Xiong went last, needing a 77.20 to clinch first over Yu and came through with an 87.72.

Xiong finished with 701.46, Yu 690.93 and Lenzi 686.49.