Sports : Ex-Olympian Kimball Pleads Guilty in Drunk-Driving Deaths of Two

Former Olympic diver Bruce Kimball, accused of killing two teen-agers while driving drunk, pleaded guilty today on the first day of his trial.

Kimball faces up to 22 years in prison on the two counts of drunk-driving manslaughter. Sentencing was set for Jan. 30.

The athlete had originally pleaded not guilty, and a jury was selected Tuesday to hear the case. Opening arguments were delivered today, and the first witness had testified when attorneys asked to enter the guilty pleas before Circuit Judge Harry Lee Coe.

Kimball killed two youths Aug. 1 when his sports car roared through a dead-end street in Brandon known as “the spot.” The area was a hangout for teen-agers and was filled with young people at the time. Four other teen-agers were seriously injured.

Kimball, 25, won a silver medal in platform diving at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The accident came just weeks after the tryouts for the Seoul Olympics, but Kimball still competed, despite vociferous opposition from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He failed to qualify for the team.