Kelly Mccormick

The U.S. Olympic Festival lost a major attraction Tuesday when star diver Kelly McCormick dropped out because of a back injury suffered several weeks ago. McCormick, eight-time U.S. springboard champion, was the silver medalist at the 1984 Olympics. She placed second at last year's Festival behind Michele Mitchell, who will be seeking her third straight Festival championship when diving competition begins Thursday with women's springboard preliminaries.

Olympic gold medalist Gao Min of China overcame a rare error on her opening dive to finish first in the women's three-meter springboard event Friday at the FINA World Diving Cup. Gao, who was third after the first five required dives, moved into the lead on the seventh at the Indiana University Natatorium and finished 10 dives with 537.27 points. Svetlana Alexeeva of the Soviet Union was second with 491.76 points, followed by Americans Wendy Lucero and Kelly McCormick. Lucero, the leader after the five required dives, placed third at 484.38.

The U.S. Olympic diving trials began at the University of Indiana Natatorium Wednesday with the women's 3-meter springboard preliminaries, but much of the attention was on beleaguered diver Bruce Kimball, who will compete today. Kimball, free on a $10,000 bond in connection with an Aug. 1 traffic accident, is entered in the men's springboard competition that begins this afternoon. He also is entered in the platform competition, an event in which Kimball won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics.

I am a bit concerned about the misconception that the television and news media are viewing Greg Louganis as the world's greatest diver in history. Allow me to set the world record straight. Pat McCormick is the first, and only, woman diver in history to win both 3-meter spring board and 10-meter tower gold medals in back-to-back Olympics, a feat she accomplished in the 1952 and 1956 games. In addition to the four gold medals, Pat won 27 national titles and three Pan American Games, and the list goes on. She and her daughter, Kelly McCormick, who just brought home the bronze medal from Seoul, are also the only mother and daughter in the history of the Olympics to become medal winners.

Olympic gold medalist Gao Min of China overcame a rare error on her opening dive to finish first in the women's three-meter springboard event Friday at the FINA World Diving Cup. Gao, who was third after the first five required dives, moved into the lead on the seventh at the Indiana University Natatorium and finished 10 dives with 537.27 points. Svetlana Alexeeva of the Soviet Union was second with 491.76 points, followed by Americans Wendy Lucero and Kelly McCormick. Lucero, the leader after the five required dives, placed third at 484.38.

I am a bit concerned about the misconception that the television and news media are viewing Greg Louganis as the world's greatest diver in history. Allow me to set the world record straight. Pat McCormick is the first, and only, woman diver in history to win both 3-meter spring board and 10-meter tower gold medals in back-to-back Olympics, a feat she accomplished in the 1952 and 1956 games. In addition to the four gold medals, Pat won 27 national titles and three Pan American Games, and the list goes on. She and her daughter, Kelly McCormick, who just brought home the bronze medal from Seoul, are also the only mother and daughter in the history of the Olympics to become medal winners.

Kelly McCormick, who won a silver medal on the springboard at the 1984 Olympic Games, came back in these 1988 Olympic Games to try for the gold at the age of 28. But the gold went to Gao Min, a little Chinese woman with a nervous smile and a flawless style, an 18-year-old who ranks as the best in the world on the 3-meter board. And the silver went to Li Qing, Gao's 15-year-old teammate. McCormick won a close battle with Irina Lachko of the Soviet Union for the bronze.

Wendy Lucero regained her three-meter springboard title, and Matt Scoggin won the 10-meter platform title as the U.S. Outdoor Diving Championships concluded Sunday at Southern Methodist University. Lucero took the lead in the eighth round of dives and finished with 497.13 points. Two-time Olympic medalist Kelly McCormick finished second with 472.29, and Mary Ellen Clark took third with 468.69. Scoggin moved into the platform lead after the fourth round to finish with 643.29 points.

Kelly McCormick, who won a silver medal on the springboard at the 1984 Olympic Games, came back in these 1988 Olympic Games to try for the gold at the age of 28. But the gold went to Gao Min, a little Chinese woman with a nervous smile and a flawless style, an 18-year-old who ranks as the best in the world on the 3-meter board. And the silver went to Li Qing, Gao's 15-year-old teammate. McCormick won a close battle with Irina Lachko of the Soviet Union for the bronze.

The U.S. Olympic diving trials began at the University of Indiana Natatorium Wednesday with the women's 3-meter springboard preliminaries, but much of the attention was on beleaguered diver Bruce Kimball, who will compete today. Kimball, free on a $10,000 bond in connection with an Aug. 1 traffic accident, is entered in the men's springboard competition that begins this afternoon. He also is entered in the platform competition, an event in which Kimball won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics.

The U.S. Olympic Festival lost a major attraction Tuesday when star diver Kelly McCormick dropped out because of a back injury suffered several weeks ago. McCormick, eight-time U.S. springboard champion, was the silver medalist at the 1984 Olympics. She placed second at last year's Festival behind Michele Mitchell, who will be seeking her third straight Festival championship when diving competition begins Thursday with women's springboard preliminaries.

Greg Louganis and Michele Mitchell won the three-meter springboard finals in the U.S. Diving Indoor championships Saturday. Louganis, undefeated in the event since 1981, scored 695.22 points in bringing his record collection of national titles to 37. Mark Bradshaw, the 1983 NCAA champion, was runner-up to Louganis for the third consecutive national meet with 678.84. Ron Meyer, the 1985 NCAA champion on both the one- and three-meter boards, took third with 661.59.

Two-time Olympic medalist Kelly McCormick rallied from a two-point deficit on her final dive Friday to win the women's three-meter springboard event in the U.S. Diving Championships. Kent Ferguson of Boca Raton won the men's three-meter springboard title, and Pat Evans of Cincinnati took the one-meter springboard event. McCormick beat runner-up Wendy Lucero of Aurora, Colo., by five points for her ninth national title. Lucero led before the last of 10 dives, but McCormick's reverse 1 1/2-somersault with 2 1/2-twists gave her a total of 507.66 points.