If there was a ranking for Canada’s top gold medal contenders at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Alexandre Despatie would probably be at the top of that list. This remarkable athlete, who turns 19 in June, is a threat for double gold in Athens, maybe even three medals, as long as he keeps clear of the injury bug. Despatie has experienced back problems in the past and this spring a shoulder injury kept him off the tower at the Canada Cup meet in Victoria.
Despatie is the reigning world champion on 10-metre tower and the World Cup champion on three-metre. He also forms a powerful duo with partner Philippe Comtois on synchronized three and 10 metres. The pair won a bronze in the synchro 10m event at the World Cup last March in Athens.
Despatie has been named Canada’s male junior of the athlete five times, a record that may never be broken. He splashed onto the Canadian scene at the 1998 Commonwealth Games where he won gold on tower at age 13, an exploit that earned him a mention in the Guiness World Book of Records as the Commonwealth Games youngest champion. He has won Canadian titles 24 times and holds the national record on all three boards (1, 3 and 10 metres).
