Making a splash.CONTROVERSIAL DIVER DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. PICHLER TAKES ANOTHER LEAP AT OLYMPIC GOLD Olympic Gold is the official video game of the XXV Olympic Summer Games, hosted by Barcelona, Spain in 1992. It was released for the Sega consoles, Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System, and Sega's handheld, Game Gear. At 32, openly gay diver David Pichler might be expected to be taking it easy at the local pool rather than making a second run at an Olympic medal. The oldest diver on the Olympic team by about ten years, Pichler is also four years older than Greg Louganis Gregory ("Greg") Efthimios Louganis (born January 29, 1960 in El Cajon, California) is an American diver. Athlete best known for winning back-to-back Olympic titles in both the 3m and 10m diving events. He received the James E. was in 1988, when he won his third and fourth gold medals. Nevertheless, Pichler is in top form and poised to come up better than he did in 1996 in Atlanta, where he finished sixth on the ten-meter platform. "I'm getting a second chance at something so great," Pichler says. "And [now] I know much better how to prepare." Pichler's sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. became known in 1995, when he left the diving camp of legendary coach Ron O'Brien, who taught Louganis and now serves as technical director for U.S. Diving, the sport's governing body Noun 1. governing body - the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something; "he claims that the present administration is corrupt"; "the governance of an association is responsible to its members"; "he . A very public feud erupted between Pichler and O'Brien, with Pichler accusing his former coach of harassing him and his partner, Steven Guiffre, at various competitions. O'Brien denies any wrongdoing wrong·do·er n. One who does wrong, especially morally or ethically. wrong  do .
Over the years the controversy has threatened to overshadow o·ver·shad·ow tr.v. o·ver·shad·owed, o·ver·shad·ow·ing, o·ver·shad·ows 1. To cast a shadow over; darken or obscure. 2. To make insignificant by comparison; dominate. Pichler's diving accomplishments and has damaged his relationship with the sport's top officials. Even this Olympic year, when Pichler heard that O'Brien was to be named to the Olympic coaching staff, he and other teammates tried to block the appointment. But officials said the protest lacked merit. O'Brien has since said he will not be on the coaching staff. "I'm thrilled," says Pichler, even though he's still concerned about the future of his teammates who also stood up against O'Brien. "The politics [of this sport] is such that when I retire, they're going to give Ron O'Brien back his power, and he's going to be able to pick the team in a few years." Pichler is considered an outside shot for an individual medal in his ten-meter platform specialty, but he is peaking at the right time. After finishing second to Mark Ruiz at the Olympic trials, he came back in August to win the U.S. national championships U.S. National Championships may refer to:
In Sydney, Pichler also will compete in the new Olympic sport of synchronized diving, where two athletes dive simultaneously and are judged as a pair. He and his partners, Ruiz on platform and Troy Dumais on springboard, are strong medal possibilities. Ghent is a reporter for the National Journal. |
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