China will be proud of my progress. We have lives to live, with jobs and family. In the U.S. our athletes attempt difficult dives before they are ready. To opponents, discipline is the key to China's success. The Chinese work out a minimum of 40 hours a week, but U.S. universities, where many divers train, limit student-athletes to 22 hours of supervised practice.
Chinese facilities have far better equipment, while the U.S. lacks even a national training center.
The Chinese live poor and train rich. It is not a level playing field. Still, last week's lopsided outcome was not a foregone conclusion. But Saoutine, renowned for explosive power and a remarkable peripheral vision that helps him position himself perfectly, placed a lackluster fifth in the springboard. He bounced back spectacularly, capturing gold in the platform event, but only one other Russian won a medal.