08.20.2004:Laura WIlkinson Advances in Platform Diving

From Yahoo News/AP :

" Laura Wilkinson (news - web sites) saved her best dive for last, allowing the defending Olympic gold medalist to escape the preliminaries of 10-meter platform Friday. The 26-year-old Texan was mired in 18th place -- none of her first four dives was especially sharp -- and facing the prospect of being eliminated from her only event of the Athens Games. Only the top 18 moved on to Saturday's semifinals.

AP Photo

But Wilkinson came through on her final dive, a backward 2 1/2 somersault with 1 1/2 twists. Her spins were crisp, her entry into the water smooth, resulting in scores of 7.5 and 8.0 across the board. That was enough to move the American up to 13th with 314.19 points."