Peng totalled 403.75 points on the opening day of competition at the Fukuoka Prefectural Pool to finish 7.90 clear of Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra, who is 7.90 behind, and Britain’s Jordan Holden, 28.85 off the leader.

Peng’s fellow Chinese diver Lin Shan, who added 3m mixed synchro gold in Budapest last year to the mixed team world gold she earned in 2019, was top qualifier into tomorrow's women's 1m springboard final with 291.25 points.

Her team-mate Li Yajie lies second, 7.90 points behind, with 20-year-old Mexican Aranza Vázquez third, 29.05 points behind.

Home artistic swimmer Yukiko Inui made a strong defence of her title in the women's solo technical event as she headed the preliminary standings at the Marine Messe Fukuoka, which will also host the swimming and water polo events.

Inui, 32, who also won world gold in the solo free routine in Budapest last year, finished with 273.2700 points, followed by Evangelia Platanioti of Greece on 252.2400, with Austria’s Vasiliki Alexandri third on 232.8367.

Spain's Fernando Diaz Del Rio Soto, twice a European silver medallist last year, finished top of the preliminaries in the men's solo technical category ahead of Monday's (July 17) final.

He gathered 220.4034 points to finish 5.9118 clear of Kenneth Gaudet of the United States and Gustavo Sanchez of Colombia, who is 18.1834 points behind.

The women's duet technical might as well be called the Battle of the Sisters.

China are in pole position ahead of the final of which will take place on Sunday, thanks to sisters Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi, the defending champions, who totalled 280.3334 points.

Austrian sisters Anna-Maria and Eirini-Marina Alexandri are second, 5.0101 points behind, with Ukraine’s identical twins Maryna and Vladyslava Aleksiiva third, 6.1400 in arrears.

The first medal event of the Championships, the women’s 10km open water swimming event, will take place tomorrow (July 15) morning at the Seaside Momochi Beach Park.