ISHOF Class of 2014 Revisited: Honor Divers and Synchro Swimmers

In 2003, Peng won the Chinese national Championships in the 3 meter individual event and finished second at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona.

For the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Peng was selected to compete in both the 3 meter individual and synchronized event with partner Wang. First up was the synchro event and heading into the final round of dives, Peng and Wang held a comfortable lead. Then came disaster. A dreadful error by Wang resulted in a failed dive – a zero – and no medal.

Comeback, for diver Peng Bo, is a particularly appropriate word. You see, Bo means, “never give up” in Chinese. And eight days later, in the final of the individual event of the 3 meter springboard, Peng came back with a vengeance.

Overcoming his earlier disappointment, Peng Bo led from start to finish.

His victory was fourth of the six gold medals China would win in Athens, and with a margin of victory of over 30 points his was the most dominating performance in diving at the Games in Athens.

Artistic Swimming

Penny & Vicky Vilagos (CAN)

Then, in 1984, they failed to make the Olympic team. After fourteen years of training and striving, they had to accept that their Olympic dream would remain out of reach. They retired from swimming to finish their university degrees and start their careers.

Then, one day in 1990, while watching a synchro competition, they experienced an unexpected sensation and realized their Olympic dream was still alive. “Si on n’essaie pas, on ne le saura jamai!” they say – “If we don’t try, we’ll never know!”

The challenges were immense. They only had two years to train for the 1992 Olympic Games. In addition, they did not qualify for funding, so they had to try this comeback, while working full time jobs and practicing five hours a day each day after work. They also had to fund all their international travel to events while keeping up their grueling schedule, all the while not knowing if they’d even make the team. But they believed in themselves and with a team of four dedicated coaches to push them to their limits, they achieved an unprecedented comeback at the age of 27 and realized their Olympic dream by winning the duet silver medal in Barcelona. This is one of the great comeback stories in FINA history.