APPLICATION » come down again to protest, Pacheco said.He said he tho

RIO DE JANEIRO -- There wont be a golden sweep in the green Olympic diving pool.Britain upset China to win the mens synchronized 3-meter springboard Wednesday, with Jack Laugher and Chris Mears totaling 454.32 points for their countrys first Olympic diving gold in history.When the scores came up and it obviously said that we had won I was still like, `No, someone is playing a horrible prank on me, Mears said. It was crazy, absolutely crazy, but Im absolutely buzzing.American duo Sam Dorman and Mike Hixon took silver with 450.21. Chinas Cao Yuan and Qin Kai settled for bronze with 443.70, ending their countrys bid to sweep the eight diving medals at the Rio de Janeiro Games.The Chinese had won the first three synchro events.On a dreary, windy day at Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre, a steady drizzle fell throughout the six-round final. The pools water was green for the second straight day, with games officials struggling to correct what they say is decreased alkalinity thats causing the change from clear blue to murky green.Being from the U.K., were very much used to rain, wind and all that kind of stuff, Laugher said.Qin was trying to win a third straight 3-meter synchro gold medal with his third different partner. But the 30-year-old Chinese -- oldest in the contest and owner of five Olympic medals -- faltered in the third round, dropping his team to second behind the British.I am the reason I did not do well, Qin said through a translator. I wasnt strong enough in my mindset. I didnt really focus enough.China fell to third in the next round, but moved up to second after its fifth dive. Cao and Qin earned scores ranging from 8.5 to 9.0, leaving them within 2.64 points of Britain heading into the last round. Laugher and Mears nailed the toughest dive any team attempted in the final, scoring 86.58 points in the fifth round.The Brits, Americans and Chinese all attempted the same dive to close the contest.Dorman and Hixon went first, scoring 98.04 to take over first, with the British and Chinese still to come. The Americans endured a five-minute wait while Mexicos duo, who competed in front of them, sought a do-over.Leading into the last dive, having the Mexicans try to re-dive was beneficial, Dorman said. Having them distract us and me wondering what was going on took a lot off my mind.Jahir Ocampo and Rommel Pacheco complained to officials after a temporary light on scaffolding above the pool suddenly turned on while they were starting their dive.At first, it appeared the Mexicans would be allowed to go again, and they climbed back on the boards. Hixon had already started up the stairs, thinking it was his turn before going back down to wait.Ocampo and Pacheco stood on the boards waiting for the judges to give the go signal. It never came. They werent allowed another attempt. It wouldnt have affected the medal finish, but might have moved the Mexicans up to fourth instead of fifth among the eight teams.We were going to do it again, but when we were up there waiting for the whistle to jump, they announced our scores and we had to come down again to protest, Pacheco said.He said he thought Mexico would protest to FINA, the sports world governing body.They might admit that they were wrong, but it wont change anything, Pacheco said.After Hixon celebrated his teams execution by punching the water, the Brits grabbed the top spot back, although at 91.20, they didnt score as high as the Americans.GB did an unbelievable last dive as well, Hixon said. We sort of made them earn it, but they absolutely did.On Chinas last dive, Qin struggled again, failing to enter the water straight on a forward 4+ somersaults dive carrying a 3.8 degree of difficulty that scored 83.22.Its a lot of pressure and yes, we were a little bit nervous, Cao said.China failed to win gold in the event for the first time since the 2004 Athens Games.---Associated Press Writer Carlos Rodriguez contributed to this report. Kevin Harvick, who hails from Bakersfield, Calif., is a tough man to beat on the mile oval in Phoenix -- the place he considers his home track.Hes also been difficult to keep out of Victory Lane when he needs a win to advance in the Chase, which is once again the case in the penultimate round of this years pursuit of the Sprint Cup.Last year, Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing Chevy team advanced to the finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway with a runner-up finish behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a rain-shortened race.It was his only loss at Phoenix since 2013. Its a remarkable record and Harvick could be forgiven if he doesnt add another trophy on Sunday. But even second place wont do this time around, because Harvick is too far back in the points after a poor performance in the Round of 8s first race at the Martinsville Speedway.Known for biding his time before charging to the front in NASCARs version of the rope-a-dope, Harvick at least doesnt have to worry much about rain relegating him to another second place. Last years cancellation of the last 93 scheduled laps is not likely to happen. It was the first occasion where rain had shortened a race in the desert since NASCARs premier series first raced at Phoenix in 1988.There was some moaning about the unfairness of calling such a crucial race early last year that sent NASCARs most popular driver into championship contention.Likewise, NASCAR was questioned by social media about the call to end the Texas race last weekend won by Carl Edwards, who along with Jimmie Johnson is locked in for Homestead after their wins. But why do things any differently than the usual way of producing a winner? The same practical reasons for not staying at a track for an unpredictably extended period of time always rule.Two drivers wouldnt be unhappy with a runner-up finish at Phoenix. Joey Logano and Kyle Busch can guarantee themselves a place among the final four Sprint Cup candidates with second place if they lead laps. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch must have a victory to guarantee a shot at the title in Florida.Ford and Team Penske seem to have finally found some speed, which bodes well for Logano. JGR driver Busch, meanwhile, appears to be imitating last years strategy of points racing in order to get a shot at winning in Homestead. Team owner Joe Gibbs, meanwhile, has three bullets left including Kenseth and Hamlin, and he hopes to get two of his Toyotas into the final running for the first time.Harvick is uncomfortably familiar with the come-from-behind role he finds himself in yet again. Four times in the last three years he has been on the verge of Chase elimination before posting a victory. Two of this seasons four victories have come during the Chase when he needed them the most. Its a fix in more ways than one.When you get in these situations, its fun to be able to succeed, Harvick said following his victory in New Hampshire in September. Its kind of like an addiction. You just love the russh of being able to be behind and be able to perform and make that happen.dddddddddddd Its something that is very gratifying.If Harvick has a secret at Phoenix, its being able to adjust to different track positions and to competitors who have raised their game. Any advantage his SHR team might bring to Phoenix can disappear overnight, he said.Thats the hardest thing about having success. You have to have an open mind to try new things to keep moving forward, Harvick said. If you dont have an open mind or are not willing to try a fresh approach, then it will get stagnant. Youre going to become stale and get left behind.Before his current stretch of six wins in his last eight Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix, Harvick won five times in the Camping World Truck Series. He also has a Xfinity Series victory on the desert mile. His over-all Sprint Cup statistics are off the chart. He has led 1,484 laps at Phoenix -- 18 percent of the total he has run -- and has posted 757 fastest laps.He swept both races in 2006, but Harvick really came on strong once the track was repaved and the backstretch was somewhat straightened in 2011.Although he has only one pole, Harvick prefers being close to the front. Theres always a dilemma about when to pit for tires and give up track position.Phoenix is a really flat racetrack where you want to have the freshest tires possible, but track position is really important, he said. A lot of what happens at Phoenix depends on the weather and how hot it is -- how much fall-off and how you have to manage track position throughout the day. The cooler the day is, the more you have to manage your track position. The hotter the day, the more you have to manage the fall-off. Better-handling cars will have a little easier time of getting through the field.It remains to be seen how a new rule announced by NASCAR for Phoenix will affect Harvicks SHR team as well as the other Chase contenders. In the eternal pursuit of trying to keep skewed cars in check, the sanctioning body circulated a new tech bulletin about how the truck trailing arms in the rear suspension are mounted to their brackets. Its a rule that will be carried over to 2017. The object of teams skewing their cars is to gain an advantage in the corners by picking up more aerodynamic sideforce.The new rule will present at least one new challenge for Harvick and his crew. The other challenge as always on a relatively short track will be contact from other drivers. Harvick has always seemed to know when to bang fenders and when to avoid contact that could cut a tire or possibly put his car into the wall. He won in the spring by banging into Edwards on the last lap coming to the checkered flag.Not surprisingly, Harvick believes the Phoenix track belongs to him until someone can prove otherwise. In the last four years, only the rain gods have beaten him. ' ' '