Defending Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham failed to make the 12-man final at the FINA Diving World Cup on Saturday, finishing 13th in the semifinals. He had finished fourth in the preliminary round the day before. Mitcham blamed his less-than-stellar performance on an abdominal injury he dealt with through much of 2011 (you can even see the bandages on his abs in this photo from last year’s diving grand prix):
The technique I use for my arm stand requires a lot of upper body strength and I have just not developed that yet. It was a very small problem but it cost me a lot of points. If that had not happened it would have been smooth sailing. So when I go home I need to build up all that strength that I am lacking.
Defending Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham failed to make the 12-man final at the FINA Diving World Cup on Saturday, finishing 13th in the semifinals. He had finished fourth in the preliminary round the day before. Mitcham blamed his less-than-stellar performance on an abdominal injury he dealt with through much of 2011 (you can even see the bandages on his abs in this photo from last year’s diving grand prix):
The technique I use for my arm stand requires a lot of upper body strength and I have just not developed that yet. It was a very small problem but it cost me a lot of points. If that had not happened it would have been smooth sailing. So when I go home I need to build up all that strength that I am lacking.
American David Boudia, on the other hand, will compete in the finals Saturday night. He finished fifth in the semifinals and is aiming for a medal, as he tweeted earlier today:
Photo: April 30, 2011; Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Matthew Mitcham (AUS) during one of his dives at the FINA diving grand prix men's 10M final at Olympic Park Sports Center Pool. Mitcham won the gold medal. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE
