Germany claim world diving gold as China slip

In a picture taken with an underwater camera Germany's Sascha Klein and Patrick Hausding compete in the men's 10-metre synchro platform preliminary diving event in the FINA World Championships at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuic in Barcelona on July 21, 2013. (AFP)

BARCELONA (AFP) – China's Olympic champions Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan suffered a shock defeat in Sunday's 10m men's synchronised platform final at the world aquatic championships as Germany claimed a historic gold.

The German pair of Sascha Klein and Patrick Hausding claimed the world title with 461.46 points from Russia's Victor Minibaev and Artem Chesakov second on 445.96 while Cao and Zhang settled for bronze on 445.56.

This was Germany's first ever synchronised diving gold at a world aquatic championships.

China's Olympic champions Cao, 18, and Zhang, 19, had led going into the fourth round, but a rare mistake saw the teenage pair drop to third.

Having won the women's 3m synchronised gold on Saturday's first day of competition at the world championships, China had been looking to emulate their 2011 success when their team swept all 10 diving gold medals.