Diver Alexandre Despatie watches and heals at Canada Cup in Montreal

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This article was published 30/04/2008 (6462 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The best divers from China, Australia, Germany and the U.S. will be launching off the tower and springboard at Montreal’s Olympic Pool starting Thursday.

The best diver from Canada will watch them from the stands. World champion and Olympic medallist Alexandre Despatie won’t compete in the Maple Leaf Simply Fresh Canada Cup because he broke a bone in his right foot three weeks ago.

This would have been important competition in Despatie’s preparation for the Olympics in Beijing starting Aug. 8.

But the 22-year-old from Laval, Que., can only watch his friends and rivals hone their list of dives over the four-day competition.

Former world champions Emily Heymans of St. Lambert, Que., and Blythe Hartley of North Vancouver, B.C., will lead the Canadian contingent in their home Grand Prix event.

The men’s field includes reigning world springboard champion Kai Qin of China and 10-metre platform champion Gleb Galperin of Russia.

“It is kind of hard to see all my friends, all the guys who are healthy and doing good,” Despatie said from Montreal.

“It’s tough because I’m in a very different situation, but at the same time I’ll stay positive and I’ll be ready in time for the Olympics.”

Despatie was a silver medallist in springboard at the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens and the first Canadian man to win an Olympic diving medal.

He was the leader on the men’s tower heading into the final in Athens, but finished fourth.

Despatie has won a world title in all three disciplines during his career: the 10-metre tower and the three-metre and one-metre springboard.

He broke the fifth metatarsal on the outside of his right foot while jumping during training earlier this month.

He’s currently wearing a removable aircast on his foot, and gets regular treatments from an Exogen ultrasound device that speeds healing of the fracture.

Despatie is in the water every day doing workouts designed by Dr. Igor Burdenko, who is a Lexington, Mass., specialist in water and land therapies.

He needs to be in top physical shape when he’s able to start diving again, but Despatie doesn’t know when he’ll be back on the boards.

“I’m talking more in terms of weeks right now,” he said. “I have another two or three weeks with this boot.

“I think before I start jumping and diving, tops month and a half. The doctors seem to think that’s realistic.”

His situation is similar to that of Canadian gymnast Kyle Shewfelt, an Olympic gold medallist in Athens who is on the clock for Beijing after breaking both knees last August.

Shewfelt has started training again, but the issue for both gymnast and diver is being competition-sharp for Beijing.

“I know Kyle’s preparation is going to be like mine – short and sweet,” Despatie said. “The clock is ticking.

“We have three and a half months and for neither of us is it deal preparation for the Olympics, but I think we both have the mindset to be able to perform. All we have to do is once we get to Beijing is be physically fit and ready to compete.”

Canada’s diving trials are June 20-22 in Victoria and Despatie is unsure if he’ll compete in them.

“My objective right now is the Olympics Games. Competing any time before that will be difficult,” he said. “It’s a very fragile injury so I’m not going to rush or skip any steps in the recovery.”

Even if Despatie doesn’t compete at trials, the door is still open for him to compete in Beijing because he’s a proven medal hopeful for Canada.

“We’ve built in a clause that allows us to address unanticipated circumstances that our national team director can make a call and make a decision in this case,” Dive Canada chief technical officer Mitch Gellar said.

“He’s proven himself time and time again to be our best potential, so we’re going to watch it closely. If he requires some sort of special consideration or an exemption from the trials that possibility definitely exists.”

Despatie has had his share of injuries in the past two years. He hurt his arm last fall and missed most of the 2006 season with back and neck injuries.

“It’s not my first time,” he said. “I’ve had to overcome injuries before and I’ll do it again.”