May 10, 2008

Strong final dives lift Dumais, Wilkinson to silver at AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix; Wilkinson also pairs with Livingston for synchro bronze

FORT LAUDERDALE , Fla. – A pair of strong final dives gave the U.S a pair of silver medals Saturday at the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix, as Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Texas) and Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif.) moved up in the standings on their last dives to finish second in women’s 10-meter and men’s 3-meter.

Wilkinson also paired with Jessica Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas) for a bronze in the women’s synchronized 10-meter competition.

Wilkinson was in fourth place heading into the final round of the women’s 10-meter contest but nailed her back 2 ½ with 1 ½ twists for 8.5s and 9s in the last round to jump into second place. She finished with 360.80 points, with the 88.40 points on that final dive ending up as the highest scoring dive in the finals.

China ’s Wang Hao finished first with 420.30 points, and Mexico’s Tatiana Ortiz scored 338.15 points for third.

In the men’s 3-meter final, Dumais was in third with one round to go but came up with 8s and 8.5s on his reverse 2 ½ with 1 ½ twists to finish second with 473.60 points. Japan’s Ken Terauchi scored 486.10 points for first, and China’s Xinhua Zhang took third at 469.35.

Wilkinson and Livingston scored 321.84 points in the 10-meter synchro final, finishing behind China’s Wang and Li Kang (348.36) and Australia’s Melissa Wu and Briony Cole (325.80). The second U.S. team of Haley Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif.) and Mary Beth Dunnichay (Elwood, Ind.) took fourth at 311.46.

The AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix concludes Sunday, May 11 with men’s 10-meter, women’s 3-meter, and men’s synchronized 10-meter finals.

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