An Inside View from Olympic Headquarters
Sept. 25, 2000
Monday morning, September 25, 2000(news from Sunday evening)
by Karen Ableman
U.S. takes first gold in diving competition.
In the first diving final of the 2000 Olympic Games, it was a come-from-behind Cinderella story for the United States in the women’s 10-meter platform competition. Texan Laura Wilkinson entered the finals of this event in fifth place behind China who held the top two spots and Canada who was in third and fourth. Wilkinson put on one of her best performances ever, with three nearly flawless final dives, to capture the gold medal for the U.S. team with a score of 543.20. She just edged out Li Na from China by less than one point. Canadian Anne Montminy finished third, just two points from Wilkinson.
Later this week Wilkinson teams with UM diver Jenny Keim for the women’s synchronized 10-meter competition. In their quest for another U.S. Olympic medal, Keim and Wilkinson will perform four dives simultaneously from the 10-meter platform.
“This is such a great way to kick off the week of diving,” said Jenny Keim after watching her teammate win the first gold medal for U.S. diving women since Jenny Chandler won the 3-meter event in the 1976 Olympics. It is the first women’s 10-meter Olympic gold since 1964.
“We’ve been here for nearly three weeks training, and we’ve all been looking forward to getting the competitions underway. And with a start like this, we may just have the best Olympic performances in recent history.”
Coach Randy Ableman says Keim is ready for both the synchronized 10-meter event and the individual 3-meter competition.
“We’ve been on a special training program since we arrived in Australia, and it’s all designed for peak performances this week,” he said. “Jenny is healthy, in great shape and diving extremely well. We’re ready to go.”
UM athletes prepare for competition
The waiting is finally over for UM divers Imre Lengyel (Hungary), Stefan Ahrens (Germany) and alumnus Jose Gil (Spain). They begin the men’s 3-meter preliminary competition this morning at 10 am (Australia time). Nearly 50 athletes are competing, with 18 advancing to the semi-finals, then the top 12 vying for medals in the finals. Both the semi-final and final competitions will be held Tuesday evening.
The Olympic Village
The Olympic Village is a city-within-a-city here in Sydney, with approximately 15,000 athletes and coaches from 200 countries calling it home during the Olympics. Asked about their experiences in the Olympic Village, two UM athletes had this to say:
Jenny Keim: “My favorite place in the Olympic Village is the main dining hall because you get a chance to meet so many athletes from other countries. It’s nearly three football fields in size, offering every kind of food imaginable, and open 24 hours a day. It’s unbelievable!”
Jose Gil: “I spend a lot of time in the game hall between training sessions and meals. It’s a great place to hang out with other athletes and they have everything from pool tables to the latest virtual games.”
All the athletes also receive a special coin that fits in coke machines located throughout the village. They get the soft drink of their choice and they get the coin back. Not a bad deal!
