Friday, January 28, 2000
Local diver earns U.S. an Olympic berth
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Lindsay Long of Lakeside Park, Ky., may never perform her specialty, sychronized diving, in the Olympics. But because of her, the United States will.
Long, 20, the Southern Methodist University sophomore from Dixie Heights High School, joined partner Kristin Link to place eighth Thursday in the synchronized 10-meter platform event at the FINA Diving World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
The six-time national champs secured the final berth for the inaugural Olympic synchro competition Sept.28.
“The pressure was in tense, but it was the best synchro contest we've ever been in,” Link said.
The berth they won probably will be utilized by others.
When the International Olympic Committee added synchronized 3- and 10-meter diving for the 2000 Olympics, it didn't increase the number of overall diving participants per country. That means synchro divers won't get spots on each country's Olympic diving team. Each nation has to pick its synchro representatives from the four-
person squad that qualifies at the Olympic Trials: two 3-meter and two 10-meter divers.
Long and Link are both long shots for individual berths.
“I hope during synchro (at the Olympics) that they say something on TV about us getting the U.S. team there,” Long said. “That would totally be fulfilling.”
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