Canadian top diver Alexandre Despatie has always been tipped as the biggest threat to the Chinese dream team at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Though the world champion did not feature in Canada's Olympic diving trial in June due to injuries, he has qualified directly for the Beijing Games since the 23-year-old is the greatest diver in Canada.
"An Olympic gold medal is needed," as Despatie once said. Against many excellent results, he has never won an Olympic gold. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, he only managed for a silver in the men's 3m springboard.
During the Beijing Olympics slated for August, Despatie, who's both good at springboard and platform, is no doubt the biggest hope for the Canadian team at the Water Cube.
Despatie visited the Water Cube during the FINA diving World Cup in February, when his unsteady performance only awarded him a bronze in the 3m springboard synchro. "I can't remember the last time when the Chinese divers didn't win," said Despatie in Beijing.
In April, a foot injury forced the Canadian to rest for four to six weeks, which would affect his preparation for the Olympics.
However, he's still the biggest rival for the powerhouse Chinese diving team.
The diving wunderkind started his career at five. And as early as 13, Despatie began to show his talents. He won the gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, making him the youngest gold medal winner ever in the history of the Games. The achievement earned Despatie a spot in the 2000 Guinness Book of World Records.
At the age 15, Despatie made his Olympic debut in the 2000 Sydney Games. However, he was too young to compete against veteran Russian Dmitri Sautin and the Chinese divers, and only finished fourth in the 10m platform.
After two years hard training, in the 2003 Barcelona World Championships, the 18-year-old defeated Chinese favorites Tian Liang and Hu Jia to claim victory in the 10m platform. It also made him the first diving world champion in Canada's history.
The 2004 Athens Games was the 19-year-old's second Olympics, where he took a silver in the 3m springboard, making him the first Canadian diver to win a medal.
In the 2005 Montreal World Championships, Despatie earned gold medals in both the 1m and 3m springboards, becoming the first diver in history to be world champion in all three diving events. His performance in 3-metre springboard earned the 20-year-old 813.60 points, also the first to be awarded over 800 points in the event.
Despatie was almost silent in 2006 due to injuries, but he came back in the 2007 Melbourne World Championships and took two silvers in the 3m springboard and 3m springboard synchron.
The 2008 Beijing Games will be the 23-year-old's third Olympic Games, and as all know, the wunderkind was much different from four years ago.
(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2008)