Olympic champion Wu to compete in synchro event

Chinese Olympic diving champion Wu Minxia will only compete in the synchronized 3m springboard event at the FINA Diving World Series' Beijing stop this weekend.

The 27-year-old Wu, who claimed two gold medals - in the individual and synchronized events at the 2012 London Games - will partner young teammate Shi Tingmao at the Beijing event, which will be held from March 15-17.

"I think I need more time to adjust myself," Wu said on Thursday.

"I took a long rest in winter and, since I have had lots of injuries, it will take a longer time for me to recover," Wu said in explaining why she will skip the individual event.

It will be the first time Wu has teamed up with Shi, 21, the gold medalist in the 3m synchronized event at the 2012 Guangzhou Asian Games with Wang Han. Shi will also be Wu's third partner, following multiple world and Olympic champion Guo Jingjing and He Zi.

"I'm the oldest one in the women's team, so I want to lead the team well and set a good example," Wu said. "We two still need more work together."

Besides Wu, the Beijing event, which is the first of the six-stop series, has attracted many big names from home and abroad.

The Chinese participants include Beijing Olympic men's 3m springboard champion He Chong and synchro champ Qin Kai. The overseas divers include London Olympic 3m springboard champion Ilya Zakharov of Russia and the 2010 World's Best Male Diver, Patrick Hausding of German