USA Diving

HEARTBREAKING DAY FOR USA DIVING

August 27, 2004

ATHENS, Greece – It was a heartbreaking day for U.S.A. Diving as Caesar Garcia and Kyle Prandi failed to qualify for the semifinals in the men’s platform, the last chance for a medal at these Olympic games.

Garcia (Baton Rouge, La.) and Prandi (Strongsville, Ohio) didn’t have the day they were capable of having, finishing 23rd and 29th respectively at their first Olympics. The top 18 divers in preliminaries advance to the semifinals.

Both started the day off strong with Prandi posting a first round score of 86.40, good for second in the round. Garcia scored 71.10 points on this first dive to finish 13th. Things started unraveling from there with Prandi scoring only 45.15 points on his second dive dropping him to 21st. However, Garcia stayed strong with a score of 74.46 to move up to 10th.

Round three is when the U.S. started seeing their chances slipping away when both divers dropped in the rankings. Prandi’s score of 51.84 dropped him to 28th while Garcia’s 46.08 put him in 23rd. Round four saw both divers jump up a little in rankings after scores of 63.24 (24th) and 58.41 (22nd), respectively.

It was another tough round in Rd. 5 with Prandi dropping to 30th with a score of 32.64 and Garcia to 24th with a score of 66.30. They finished strong in round six with dives of 67.26 and 72.42. Garcia finished 23rd with a total score of 388.77 and Prandi was 29th with 346.53.

“I am actually pretty happy with my diving despite the outcome of today,” Prandi said. “I had my head on straight and things felt correct up there. Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way I had planned. Diving has given me some great opportunities like being at the Olympics and helping me get my college degree. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Following the competition Prandi said that he was most likely through diving.

As for Garcia more than anything he was just ready to get the competition started today after being in Greece since the start of the Olympics.

“I think I peaked a week early,” Garcia said. “I was feeling great coming into the contest and it was more of an endurance test that I expected. I will probably be more disappointed with it years from now than I am right now because I gave it my best shot and that is what counts.”

Despite the outcome they can both return to the United States proud to be called an Olympian knowing they gave it their all in Athens.

--30--

USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually, sanctions hundreds of events managed by its 350 member clubs and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and Pan American Games.

- USAD –

For additional information, please contact Ann Bleiker, diving press officer, at ann.bleiker@usoc.org or 011-30-636-677-2093. Information can also be found at www.usadiving.org, www.usolympicteam.com or www.nbcolympics.com.

USA Diving

United States Diving, Inc. 201 S. Capitol Ave., Ste. 430, Indianapolis, IN 46225 317.237.5252 \| 317.237.5257 FAX
HEARTBREAKING DAY FOR USA DIVING August 27, 2004 ATHENS, Greece – It was a heartbreaking day for U.S.A. Diving as Caesar Garcia and Kyle Prandi failed to qualify for the semifinals in the men’s platform, the last chance for a medal at these Olympic games. Garcia (Baton Rouge, La.) and Prandi (Strongsville, Ohio) didn’t have the day they were capable of having, finishing 23rd and 29th respectively at their first Olympics. The top 18 divers in preliminaries advance to the semifinals. Both started the day off strong with Prandi posting a first round score of 86.40, good for second in the round. Garcia scored 71.10 points on this first dive to finish 13th. Things started unraveling from there with Prandi scoring only 45.15 points on his second dive dropping him to 21st. However, Garcia stayed strong with a score of 74.46 to move up to 10th. Round three is when the U.S. started seeing their chances slipping away when both divers dropped in the rankings. Prandi’s score of 51.84 dropped him to 28th while Garcia’s 46.08 put him in 23rd. Round four saw both divers jump up a little in rankings after scores of 63.24 (24th) and 58.41 (22nd), respectively. It was another tough round in Rd. 5 with Prandi dropping to 30th with a score of 32.64 and Garcia to 24th with a score of 66.30. They finished strong in round six with dives of 67.26 and 72.42. Garcia finished 23rd with a total score of 388.77 and Prandi was 29th with 346.53. “I am actually pretty happy with my diving despite the outcome of today,” Prandi said. “I had my head on straight and things felt correct up there. Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way I had planned. Diving has given me some great opportunities like being at the Olympics and helping me get my college degree. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.” Following the competition Prandi said that he was most likely through diving. As for Garcia more than anything he was just ready to get the competition started today after being in Greece since the start of the Olympics. “I think I peaked a week early,” Garcia said. “I was feeling great coming into the contest and it was more of an endurance test that I expected. I will probably be more disappointed with it years from now than I am right now because I gave it my best shot and that is what counts.” Despite the outcome they can both return to the United States proud to be called an Olympian knowing they gave it their all in Athens. --30-- USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually, sanctions hundreds of events managed by its 350 member clubs and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and Pan American Games. - USAD – For additional information, please contact Ann Bleiker, diving press officer, at ann.bleiker@usoc.org or 011-30-636-677-2093. Information can also be found at www.usadiving.org, www.usolympicteam.com or www.nbcolympics.com. .
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