SWIMMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS : Jongejans Makes Name for Himself With Title

Edwin Jongejans, who has lived in the shadow of his sister, Dutch diving teammate Daphne, surprised the favored Chinese and held off a late charge by American Mark Lenzi to win the men’s one-meter springboard event Saturday at the World Swimming Championships.

It was the best finish by far in a major international meet for Jongejans, who lives and trains with his sister in Coral Gables, Fla.

He moved past Chinese favorites Wang Yijie and Tan Liangde in the third round and stayed in the lead to the end, edging Lenzi by 10 points.

“I don’t think you can expect to win a gold medal,” Jongejans said. “But I thought there were five or six guys who could win it, and that I was one of them.”

His victory was the first by a non-American in world championship men’s diving since 1975, with the retired Greg Louganis accounting for five of the six. The one-meter is a new event, with the U.S. gold medals won in three-meter springboard and platform.

Jongejans totaled 588.51 points, to 578.22 for Lenzi, the NCAA champion from Indiana. Wang barely missed the silver at 577.86.

Jongejans clinched the victory on his ninth dive, an inward 2 1/2 somersault, that gave him his best score, 67.50 points, and increased his lead over Lenzi to 29 points.