US Diving Trials: Ruiz, Dumais qualify on 3m

From USA Diving
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Mark Ruiz (Orlando, Fla.) waited until the last dive to win the men's 3-meter springboard event at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Federal Way, Wash. Relegated to fourth during four of the six rounds, Ruiz's last dive, a reverse 3 1/2 somersault tuck with 1/2 twist (5371C, 3.5 DD) paid off with 9s and 10s and a stunning 98.70 points, the highest total of any one dive in the contest, that pushed him into first.

1996 Olympian David Pichler (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) led throughout the event, staying in first from round three through five. The scores on his last dive, however, ranged from 4.0 to 6.0 and weren't enough to keep Pichler in the top two. He fell to fourth.

After moving up from tenth to second in the semis Wednesday, Troy Dumais' (Ventura, Calif.) managed to stay in the top two spots for most of the contest, ending up in second place and earning a spot on the Olympic Team.

But Dumais had more than competition on his mind. Early Thursday morning Dumais was admitted to a hospital in Federal Way for kidney stones, an affliction he also had while competing at the 1999 World University Games in Palma, Spain. This time, local doctors treated the symptoms and Dumais was released within a few hours. Later on Thursday and after an afternoon practice, Dumais was admitted again for similar pain less than three hours before the start of the men's 3-meter final (7 p.m. PT). He reported to the pool approximately one half hour before the start of the event.

Ruiz and Dumais join Jenny Keim (Miami, Fla.) and Michelle Davison (Columbia, S.C.) as members of the 2000 U.S. Olympic-qualified team. Keim and Davison qualified for the team Wednesday night during the women's 3-meter competition. Friday's competition will feature the start of the women's platform event.

Note: The meet will be broadcast on Newtwork TV this weekend. Check your local listings for times.

Men's 3-meter springboard Final
(top two qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team)
1, Mark Ruiz, Orlando, Fla., 1130.67 points. 2, Troy Dumais, Ventura, Calif., 1120.32. 3, P.J. Bogart, Mesa, Ariz., 1115.61. 4, David Pichler, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 1113.66. 5, Kevin McMahon, Fremont, Neb., 1097.94. 6, Chris Devine, Lighthouse Point, Fla., 1066.11. 7, Chris Mantilla, Boca Raton, Fla., 1059.63. 8, Rio Ramirez, Miami, Fla., 1047.60. 9, Bryan Gillooly, Kissimmee, Fla., 1043.34. 10, Tyce Routson, Provo, Utah, 1034.43. 11, Phil Jones, Fishers, Ind., 1031.22. 12, Mike Collier, St. Louis, Mo., 1021.05. 13, Justin Dumais, Ventura, Calif., 995.50.

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