Wilkinson optimistic
By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
-- March 2004 shapes up as a considerably happier time for
diver Laura Wilkinson and her coach, Kenny Armstrong, than
March 2000.
Wilkinson returned last weekend from Athens, Greece, where
she won the women's 10-meter platform event at the FINA Diving
World Cup championship, which was held at the same pool that
will host the Olympic diving championships in August.
Her success this year stands in sharp contrast to four years
ago, when she suffered a broken foot on March 8, 2000, in
a training accident and was in a cast until shortly before
the U.S. Olympic trials in June. She won that event and,
in September 2000, added the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.
The Athens event, however, was her first international victory
since the Olympics.
"It's a good feeling that people know I'm still here and
that I've got a new list (of dives) and that I can compete," she
said . "Right now, I'm not about winning medals and beating
people. I want to see what my potential is as a diver and
see how good I can be."
Armstrong said Wilkinson has perfected eight of her nine
dives and needs only to work on an inward 3 1/2-somersault
tuck dive to be at her 2000 level.
"I'm still cleaning up (the inward 3 1/2) and fine-tuning
things," she said. "It's a nice feeling to know that I can
win. But I know that I can do so much better."
Armstrong agrees.
"If she keeps going the way she's going, she's going to
be very competitive, and she has a chance to do it again.
It's a perfect scenario," he said. "I'm looking to great
things from her from this point forward."
The next major event for the U.S. divers is the American
Cup Championship in early April in Minneapolis. The top four
finishers from that event qualify for the USA Diving Grand
Prix set for May 6-8 at The Woodlands Athletic Center.
The U.S. women have qualified one spot each in the women's
3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform for Athens and
hope to qualify one more spot in each event. They also qualified
for platform synchro but failed to qualify for springboard
synchro.
The men, meanwhile, have qualified for the maximum two spots
in each individual event and for both synchro events.
Olympic team members will be selected at the team trials
June 7-13 in St. Peters, Mo., near St. Louis.
By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
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