July 20, 2005

MONTREAL � Alexandre Despatie of Laval, Que., won gold in the men's three-metre springboard at the world aquatic championship Tuesday with a world-record score.

Despatie was first with 813.60 points. He's the first diver to pass 800 points in that event. Troy Dumais of the U.S. was second in 732.76 points. Chong He of China was third with 730.77 points. Arturo Miranda of Pointe-Claire, Que., was 11th with 230.91.

"He's a great competitor," Dumais said of Despatie, who recorded a remarkable 100.80 points on his third of six dives, a reverse 3.5 tuck. "He knows how to turn it on and when to turn it off.

"The things he already has ingrained in his diving, other people have to work for. That's what I'm learning. Today I did a good job, but Alexander did a great, great job."

A full house of more than 4,000 roared with each of Despatie's dives.

"It was amazing with the crowd," said Miranda, who added he lost his own focus while cheering for his friend Despatie. "He's beyond god, he's amazing.

"Nothing bothers him. He's the man."

It was also Miranda's best ever performance at a world championships.

Despatie, who was first in a rain-interrupted preliminary round, was first by a wide margin in the semis with 765.03 points. He had four perfect 10s on his second of five dives and three more on his third dive.

It's Canada's third diving medal of the meet after a bronze by Roseline Filion of Laval and Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal in women's synchronized diving on Sunday and a gold by Blythe Hartley of North Vancouver on the one-metre springboard on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Canadian synchronized swimming team lost its appeal over a judge's decision that one of its athletes deliberately touched the bottom of the pool during the team technical preliminary round.

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