Dumais Is Super on Springboard

Justin Dumais felt like Superman Sunday at the U.S. Outdoor National Diving Championships in Mission Viejo.

After winning the three-meter springboard title--his first individual national title--and knocking off two Olympians in the process, Dumais held up a trembling hand to reporters.

“This is what I do it for,” Dumais said. “The adrenaline rush. It’s the most unbelievable feeling. I think I can do anything right now. Does anyone need anything done? Heavy lifting, cars lifted off people, children that need to be saved?”

Dumais, who is from Ventura and was celebrating his 22nd birthday, recorded the two highest-scoring dives in the competition. His final dive--a reverse 1 1/2 somersault, 3 1/2 twists in the free position--earned him a score of 84.15 points.

The final diver, his brother Troy who will represent the U.S. in the three-meter event in Sydney, performed a forward 2 1/2 somersault, two twists in a pike position and scored 77.52. But it wasn’t enough to overtake Justin, placing Troy second with 629.49 points. Justin finished with 639.18.

Justin trailed Troy through the first four rounds, but steadily moved closer, trailing by only 3.48 after the fourth round.

However, when Justin missed his next dive--a back 2 1/2 somersaults in the pike position--and scored only a 39.60, he thought he’d blown his chance.

“I figured I was fighting for second after that,” Justin said.

But as Troy headed to the end of the board for his fifth-round dive, a bug distracted him as he began his jump, causing him to lose his balance and force a dive that scored only 33.06. Troy asked officials if he could dive again, but his request was denied.

“I saw the bug when I was walking down the board and I thought it would go away, but when I started bouncing it flew up in my face,” Troy said. “I was going to balk and take the two-point penalty, but one foot was way off so I just yanked a triple twist. It’s just a fluke thing.”

Olympian David Pichler of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., who won the 10-meter platform title and both the three-meter and platform synchronized titles, finished third with 616.08 points. Troy Dumais partnered with Pichler for the three-meter synchronized title.

In the women’s competition, Olympian Laura Wilkinson of the Woodlands, Texas, won her ninth national 10-meter platform crown with 530.40 points.

Wilkinson dazzled the crowd on her third dive--a reverse 2 1/2 somersault in a tuck position. Wilkinson entered the water cleanly and was rewarded with five scores of 10 and two 9.5s for the effort. At the Olympic Trials she received six 10s on the same dive.

Wilkinson also won the synchronized platform competition with fellow Olympian Jenny Keim.