As a 18-year-old rookie, China's He Min stunned Olympic winner Qin Kai to lift the men's 1 meter springboard title at the Asian Games here on Wednesday.

He Min performed a well-balanced six dives with 481.20 points, 30 points higher than Qin who suffered from his poor second and third dives. Malaysia's Yeoh Ken Nee had the bronze medal.

He Min started to dive at the age of 3 when his parents sent him to a divining school named after the Chinese legendary Olympic champion diver Xiong Ni.

"When I was sent to the diving school, I was taught swimming first for a long time. My idol is Xiong Ni," He said.

He said his favorite event is 1m springboard. "I guess that's why I was picked for the Asian Games while others focus on the 3m, including Qin Kai. I'm happy with the gold in my first Asian Games."

Qin, silver medalist in the same event four years ago in Doha, said:"It's very difficult for me to compete in this event, since my focus is on the 3m and synchro. My second and third dives were terrible."

In the women's 1m springboard, China Olympic champion Wu Minxia met no challenges to claim the crown in 326.15, Zheng Shuangxue and Malaysia's Cheong Jun Hoong came to second and third, respectively.

Wu, 25, long-time partner with "Diving Queen" Guo Jingjing, has collected 4 golds and 1 silver from the Asian Games comparing with Guo's record of 4 titles.

"I'm on my own way. I don't care about the other's achievements. Guo began diving earlier than me and has set a good example for us. I should learn from her fighting spirit," Wu said.

The women's 10m platform and men's 3m springboard will take place on Nov. 25.

(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2010)