Bradshaw Will Get Another Chance to Upset Louganis in Mission Viejo

In the midst of a meet last month in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mark Bradshaw toiled away, working on his own dives with little concern for what Greg Louganis was doing. Usually, it made little difference. For six years, Louganis always took first place in the three-meter springboard competition. Everyone else was in a different contest, it seemed.

But in the meet last month, Bradshaw did what no one else had done since 1981: He defeated Louganis, the 1984 Olympic double gold medalist, in the three-meter springboard competition.

Louganis, who had only recently begun training seriously after a stretch of public appearances and speaking engagements and who admitted he was not in top shape, faltered in the final session.

“I did some really good dives, and some . . . really mediocre,” said Louganis, 27. “I just ran out of gas.”

When mediocrity pays a brief visit to Louganis, prudent divers had best take advantage.

Louganis, who formerly trained at Mission Viejo, returns to the Marguerite Recreation Center for the McDonald’s Cup III, beginning today.

Bradshaw, with the ease of a man whom no one expects to repeat his feat, is amazed at the interest his victory has produced.

“I didn’t think it was that big a deal at first,” Bradshaw said. “But six years (without a defeat) is a long time.”

Patrick Jeffrey, who trains with Bradshaw in Columbus, Ohio, under Coach Vince Panzano, was second. Louganis, who once scored 755.49 points in the springboard event, placed third in the McDonald’s Cup II meet, at 647.15.

Dave Burgering, Mission Viejo Nadadore coach, had been the last person to defeat Louganis on the three-meter springboard.

Bradshaw and Louganis--who trains with the Mission Bay Makos in Boca Raton, Fla., under Ron O’Brien, formerly the Nadadore coach--are among the 16 men and 16 women, including 1984 Olympic medalists Bruce Kimball, Kelly McCormick, Michele Mitchell and Wendy Wyland, who will compete in the three-day event, which begins with springboard quarterfinals at 9 a.m. today.

The upset of Louganis was so rare that it has engendered a surge of interest in Bradshaw, 24, a three-time NCAA champion at Ohio State and 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival silver medalist.

Bradshaw was born in Happy Camp, Calif., a small town in the Siskiyou Mountains near the Oregon border, and he learned to dive in his boyhood home of Springfield, Ore. There was no platform in Springfield, and thus Bradshaw didn’t learn to dive from the platform until he was 19. Already behind and not altogether thrilled with the height, he stopped competing from the platform four years ago.

As intimidating as Louganis is, Bradshaw said that he and the other divers don’t think of themselves as also-rans.

“People have a misconception about diving with Greg,” Bradshaw said. “People take for granted that we’re all diving for second place. That’s crud. . . . Personally, I wouldn’t still be diving if it was for second. All along we’re going for first. We just never won because Greg’s just incredible.”

For Louganis, the defeat is simply a reminder.

“It makes me realize I have to do my homework,” Louganis said. “I know I didn’t do the work and was coming off a lot of appearances. I was pleased with my performance in the second round, but as far as my finals performance, it was a little weak.”

And the victory for Bradshaw?

“It was a good feeling,” he said.