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OLYMPICTIONARY
In the diving event, athletes jump off a diving board and land in a swimming pool. These athletes are called divers, and they dive from two different boards. The high board is called the "platform", and the low board is called the "springboard".
When the divers are in the air, they turn, tumble, and twist. These moves have names like somersaults, pikes, tucks, and twists.
Divers can be awarded up to 10 points for each dive. Points are awarded based on their difficulty; the number of moves the divers try to make; and the ways the divers jump off the board, perform their dive, and enter the water. For a perfect dive, they must enter the water without making any splash at all.
This summer, synchronized diving will be introduced at the Olympics. This means that two divers will dive at the same time.
Ones to Watch: Keep an eye on U.S. diver Laura Wilkinson, who won a gold medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games, Fu Mingxia, of China, who won gold medals at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games. In men's diving, watch the battle between China's Tian Liang, who won the gold medal at the 2000 World Cup, and Russia's Dmitry Sautin, who won the gold at the 1998 World Championships. Of course, they might both get a run for their money from U.S. diver Mark Ruiz, who is a newcomer already developing a reputation as a world class diver.
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