Top awards for divers Shi and Xie

China's Olympic and world champion Shi Tingmao was named FINA's Best Women's Diver for the fifth consecutive year while her compatriot Xie Siyi won the corresponding men's award for the first time on Saturday.

Both Shi and Xie won 3-meter springboard gold at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, last July.

"I am very, very happy and honored to get this award again. It is always fresh and exciting to win something. I am not a self-satisfied person but this time I really, really want to give myself a thumbs-up and full marks," said the 29-year-old Shi. "I am grateful to everyone who helps and supports me all the time.

"My grandfather used to tell me that it's hard to focus on one thing in life and it's impossible to do it perfectly. I want to tell him, 'I did it in diving'. I have learned a lot and enjoyed a lot from diving. My little wish is to be the winner for a sixth time."

Xie admitted he was taken aback by the honor.

"It is a big surprise for me. I never thought about it. The award is not only for me but also for my team, including my coach, teammates, doctors and staff, because we are all a big family. I really want to show my gratitude to them," said the 23-year-old. "The award also inspires me to work harder every day and gives me a boost to show my best at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

"It is a year of growth and I can see my improvement in every aspect. I'd give myself 80 points out of a 100 for my performance for the whole year. There were some mistakes during the year but I overcame those downs. I want to be stronger in mind."

In swimming, American sprint specialist Caeleb Dressel claimed the prize in the men's category, with Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom named the best female.

Britain's Gary Hunt of Britain and Australia's Rhiannan Iffland were honored in high diving.

Russian pair Svetlana Romashina and Svetlana Kolesnichenko shared the victory for the Best Female Artistic Swimmer of the Year, with their compatriot Aleksandr Maltsev winning the men's award.

In open water swimming, Hungary's Kristof Rasovszky and Brazil's Ana Marcela Cunha were the victors.

The Italian men's team and Team USA's women won the water polo awards after their respective triumphs at the Gwangju worlds.

Xinhua