The 16th FINA Diving World Cup...
Location: Water Cube
Date: February 19 - 25
The best part about being a member of the media is being able to apply for media passes so that you needn't worry about getting tickets to go see popular "Good Luck Beijing" test events such as the Diving World Cup. Plus you get access to unlimited coffee, tea, oranges and biscuits in the designated media lounge! Hunter S. Thompson had it right when he talked about the media hounds (himself included) in "The Great Shark Hunt".
19:00 BJT - The Men's 10 Meter Platform Final...It's like being a 1950's housewife at a washing machine convention because all the divers have abdominal muscles you could do 10 loads of laundry on. Now I know the reason why they call 'em washboard abs!
The spectator seating area to the right of the platforms is packed -- a blurry kaleidoscope of various dots and colours that very much resembles one of those hidden 3-D pictures. There are 12 competitors, 6 rounds, highest score out of 10, decided by a United Colors of Benetton panel of judges (to weed out bias or patriotic favouritism).
Two things stood out from this final: 1). a 13 year-old diver from Great Britain, Thomas Daley. 2). The fact that China took silver and gold went to Germany's Sascha Klein...
Thomas Daley. He's got the face of an angelic Tiny Tom from David Copperfield's A Christmas Story. A mix between inncocence and uncertain adolescence...Still a child on the verge of becoming a teen, but reluctant to do so; he posesses a gentle, harmless charisma as he smiles on the 10 meter platform. No hint of nervoiusness, and the only hesitation he looks to have, is about growing up - not plunging head first into the water from 10 meters above in front of countless eyes.