Despatie keeps his head to help claim sixth place
It is not quite a five-metre walk from one end to the other, and at some point on his journey along the Olympic springboard Wednesday, Canadian diver Alex Despatie thought of its terribly unforgiving nature.
It was a springboard like this that slammed into Despatie’s forehead during training in Madrid six weeks ago, an accident that threatened his participation in the London Games, his fourth Olympics.
But any nagging thought Wednesday was in and out of Despatie’s head in no more than a few steps along the board as he turned his back on the diving tank and set up for the inward tucked 3½ somersault. On Despatie’s right was teammate Reuben Ross, similarly set for the dive that would end the three-metre synchronized diving competition. The two Canadians landed the dive very nicely, Despatie earning a score of 8.5, Ross marked at 7.0.
Their six-dive score of 421.83 points classified the pair sixth in a field of eight, China’s Qin Kai and Luo Yutong beating the runnerup Russians by 17.37 points, the Americans winning the bronze.
It completed the Chinese sweep of all four synchro events and it would surprise no one if they win all of diving’s eight gold medals.
No matter this was Canada’s first off-podium result here after the women had won bronze in three- and 10-metre synchro; you’d find no long faces a short time later in the interview area beneath the stands. Despatie, Ross and coach Arturo Miranda all were satisfied, if not thoroughly happy with the result. And why wouldn’t they be?
Despatie was in the final weeks of crucial Olympic preparation in June when he suffered a split skull and concussion in Madrid. He was finally in excellent diving shape at the time, having been sidelined from April 2011 through January with bursitis and tendinitis in a knee.
In recent weeks, Ross has had to train alone, preparing for the synchro competition without benefit of a partner.
“Getting the rhythm comes with repetition,” said Ross, the 26-year-old Regina native who had 39 family members at the pool Wednesday. “It’s about adjusting to slight differences in timing, to make sure the synchronicity is spot on.”
Since Despatie’s return from his head injury, the pair have trained together perhaps 10 times; Miranda said 50 practices during the final pre-Games stages, at a minimum, are necessary to be truly prepared.
The pair also changed their diving list, dropping a very demanding and richly rewarding (when landed) reverse 3½ for a back 2½. The half-point difference in degree of difficulty can be huge.
“We’ve had such a difficult journey here,” Despatie said. “Reuben’s been incredibly patient, with all that’s happened in the past year. All this time he’s kept training and getting ready for this moment. We were consistent today. No big mistakes in a very tough field. Guys are doing big dives well and together. Reuben and I have haven’t had much training.”
In his six dives, Despatie scored a 9.0 and five 8.5s; Ross had a 9.0, four 8.0s and the 7.0. Their synchro scores were mostly 8.0s, reflective of a lack of practice.
Ross said that in the ready-room before the competition began, he contemplated what might be the final six dives of his career, unsure if he’ll keep competing.
“It was good,” he said of the meet. “We were very consistent in a really tough field, despite the fact we’ve only been training together for about two weeks. I was nervous, but I had to enjoy this. I may never get this experience again. I wanted to enjoy the moments, the feelings. It’s hard to describe what a rush it is.”
Landing the inward 3½ in the Olympics, given its recent history, was a major feat for Despatie.
“I gave that a quick thought walking to the end of the board,” he said. “But I put it aside right away. The only thing I could focus on for that dive was to go for it. Not hold back. I couldn’t go halfway and I didn’t. That’s another big step in my process, to get it out of the way for the first time.”
For the 27-year-old from Laval, the synchro event was an ideal icebreaker for his individual three-metre competition of Aug. 6-7. Despatie said he felt more in control in Wednesday’s meet than he has in practice, which augurs well for his next test.
“I really didn’t know what to expect today,” he said. “I’m not sure that had to do with the accident, thinking, ‘Did I train enough?’ They’re thoughts I try to keep out of my head. Focus on the positive. And I did that, on technique and staying in the moment.”
Throughout training and again Wednesday, Despatie heard encouraging words from fellow competitors, coaches and officials welcoming him back after his harrowing accident.
He says he still has little if no feeling at and above his hairline, because of nerve damage that might or might not improve; the long scar is still almost fresh.
“I’m not paying attention to it,” Despatie said. “It’s something that I’ll never forget — I’ll be reminded of it every day unless I stop looking at myself. I felt great out there, better in the event than in training in regards to my thoughts and keeping calm. But there’s still a lot of work to do.”