Putting pedal to medals
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- She belongs to Canada.
"I don't know where I'm from,'' said Blythe Hartley of Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal yesterday.
"A lot of places can claim me if they want.''
Before they're done, they'll want to.
Hartley kept the Canadian flag flying at diving at the XIV Pan-Am Games yesterday, winning gold in the three-metre springboard.
When Alexandre Despatie won his third gold in three days to go with it, diving had won more gold medals in three days at these Games - six - than the rest of the Canadian team combined.
There's something about these kids who have come together to push each other to greater things, much like the Crazy Canucks did in skiing way back when and like the speedskaters have done out of Calgary in recent years.
They like each other, cheer for each other and are dedicated to each other to the extent that they are only going to allow themselves to take a two-week holiday in September in their quest to carry this through to the Athens Olympics.
MOVED TO MONTREAL
Which is how the born-in-Edmonton, raised-in-Vancouver, trained-in-Calgary Hartley has come to add Montreal to her list of home towns. After Despatie and Emilie Heymans won their world championships, Hartley moved to Montreal to train with them through to the Olympic Games.
"It's great, with Blythe moving to Montreal with us. She's a great girl. I love her very much,'' said Despatie, who combined with Christopher Kalec of Montreal to win the 10-metre synchro event here yesterday, outscoring Mexico 340.44 to 327.09 with the U.S. finishing third at 320.52.
"I think all of us being together and pushing each other makes us all better. We're getting better and better and better by each of us pushing the other guys.''
In a Games featuring three dozen sports, you'd like to spread the coverage around. But the Canadian diving team - which experienced unprecedented success with two golds and a bronze at the world championships two weeks ago, keeps bringing you back.
Yesterday was Hartley's turn to take the spotlight as she battled Heymans down to the last dive for the gold to prevent her world champion teammate from going a perfect four-for-four and turn the trick Despatie is going for today in the event where he won the world championship - the 10-metre tower.
A four-time world junior champion, Hartley has been playing second banana to both Despatie and Heymans here as she did at worlds where she won the bronze in the one-metre springboard.
"Blythe's strength is the three-metre,'' said Heymans, who was happy to push her and settle with the silver for herself.
"When you're diving with a good diver, I'm pretty sure it helps, even though in the competition you are more diving against yourself than another diver.''
Heymans says they're all proud Canadians and revealed a red Maple Leaf and five-Olympic-ring tattoo on her inner thigh bikini line to prove the point.
"I said I'd only wear one tattoo and this is it,'' she said. "To wear a tattoo, I think it has to mean something to you. This means a lot to me.''
Hartley didn't offer the media a peak at any tattoo she may have, but says while she and Heymans are not very similar as divers, they're becoming twisted sisters.
"We've become good friends. I'm not trying to beat her.''
She didn't beat her by much here yesterday - 504.63 to 502.17. Both had to nail their last dives to stay one-two.
"Overall it wasn't a very good competition,'' said Hartley.
"To be honest, I wasn't very happy with my performance. There are a lot of good divers here but nobody was diving very well,'' she added, putting it down to conditions and the world championship hangover effect.
PUSHED EACH OTHER
But she said they pushed each other to keep Canada unbeaten through six events in Pan-Am diving.
"It's good for us to have to perform under the pressure,'' she said of the intensity they're creating for each other to win all eight golds and a few other medals to go with them.
Despatie says being one win away from going four-for-four is exciting for him.
"It would mean a lot. It's now a job I have.''
Is there a danger here of getting Olympic expectations too high for Canada in this sport?
"I don't think the public will get misled,'' said Hartley.
"Everyone knows there are a lot of great divers in Europe, Russia, China ... But it's not unrealistic to have high hopes for us. We have high hopes for each other.''
You gotta like this group.
