Despatie caps a near-flawless performance to set mark in three-metre springboard and vault Canada into rarefied position

James Christie

Montreal � Alexandre Despatie has "a heart of steel" and a medal of gold.

The 20-year-old poster boy of the world aquatics championships held a sellout crowd of 4,000 spellbound and his fellow competitors in awe as he amassed the highest score yet recorded in the three-metre springboard event for Canada's second gold and third medal in as many days.

In what will be the high-water mark for the host country, Canada stands second only to mighty China as the championships enter their fourth day. The Chinese have two gold, one silver and one bronze, ahead of Canada's two gold and one bronze. Germany has one medal of each colour.

Despatie, who was called on to be the public face of the beleaguered organizing committee in the darkest days of January when the event was taken away because of sponsorship shortfalls, proved to his city, his province and the federal government that he wasn't selling empty hope when he urged them to bail out the championships.

After dominating the preliminaries and semi-finals, Despatie capped a near flawless performance and brought fans out of their seats by scoring perfect 10s from three judges on the third of six final dives, a reverse 3� tuck, worth more than 100 points. He had seven perfect 10s in two earlier rounds.

His total of 813.60 is the best under current judging and program rules.

The umbrella body for water sports known as FINA does not accept the term world record since formats are constantly changing. And, because things will change again with the elimination of required dives, Despatie posted a mark that will stand eternally.

After a bronze in the three-metre synchronized event, the United States was back on the podium with Troy Dumais taking silver with 752.76.

China's He Chong, a gold medalist in the three-metre synchronized competition, added a bronze to his world championship haul by taking third with 730.77 ahead of Olympic champion and teammate Peng Bo. Arturo Miranda of Pointe-Claire, Que., was 11th with 230.91.

Whether yesterday's performance has record status or not, Despatie has placed himself among the best divers in history. His springboard gold goes with the 10-metre gold he won in Barcelona. Two other divers have doubled and they are considered legends in the sport, American Greg Louganis and Russian Dmitry Sautin.

With the crowd in this province, he enjoys rock-star status in terms of popularity. To fellow divers, he's simply the best.

"He's a great competitor," Dumais said of Despatie. "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."

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

"Nothing bothers him. He's the man. He's the one you want to go to war with you. Alexandre is not the one who jumps the highest or spins the fastest, but when he comes down . . . he has a heart of steel."

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

As Despatie sat with his medal in the interview room, he said he was still stunned and confused by the best performance he had ever achieved. He said he would have to look at videotapes to appreciate his greatest day.

"At the Olympics, I scored 791 points and after that I wondered what I could do to get a little more for the 800 barrier no one ever reached. I didn't feel I could do it, the mark was too high. But now the ice is broken, for the first -- and last -- time."

He said he had to pull himself out of doldrums early this year. He went into the expected post-Olympic lull after Athens and in January suffered an injury in a platform dive in Quebec City, clipping the concrete with his feet and narrowly missing it with his head. He wrenched his back and couldn't continue his tower training for a defence of his Barcelona gold. Then the championships for which he was spokesman almost went under.

"There were too many things I was having a tough time with," he said. "I kept asking myself when this period would be over. I wasn't seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for two or three months. But then I won a Canada Cup meet and could breathe again, then one in Florida and I was back.

"A little piece of this medal is for the organizers of the championships, who never gave up," he said.

"I'm proud for Canada, for Montreal. The feeling here with the crowd is unbelievable. You get goosebumps before every dive. An athlete only lives this kind of experience once or twice in his career, and to do it in your own country, in front of your own people. . . . I'm hoping this medal and Blythe's and the one by the synchro girls gives the rest of the Canadians a tap on the back. We're here at home. Keep going."

He was referring to the gold won Monday in one-metre springboard by North Vancouver's Blythe Hartley and a bronze by Roseline Filion of Laval and Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal in women's synchronized diving.

Record haul
Born: June 8, 1985, Laval, Que.
Height: 5-foot-6
Weight: 130 pounds
Education: Antoine de Saint-Exupery High School, St. Leonard, Que.
Coach: Michel Larouche, Club Aquatique de Montreal.
Winner: 29 national senior titles, 9 national junior titles.
2005 worlds aquatics championships: Gold 3M springboard
2005 FINA grand prix super final: Gold on 3M
2005 summer senior national championships: Gold on 1M & 3M
2005 winter senior national championships: Gold on 1M, 3M & 10M
2004 Olympic Games: Silver on 3M, 4th on 10M, 5th on 10m Synchro (with Philippe Comtois)
2004: Ranked No. 1 in the world on 3M springboard
2004 Olympic Trials: Gold on 3M and 10M
2004 Canada Cup: Silver on 3M
2004 winter senior national championships: Gold on 3M and 10M
2004 FINA World Cup: Gold on 3M , bronze on 10M and 10M synchro (with Philippe Comtois)
2003 Pan American Games: Gold on 3M, bronze on 10M, gold on 3M & 10M synchro (with Philippe Comtois)
2003 Worlds: Gold on 10M
2001 world aquatics championships: Silver on 10M

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