(ATR) Divers in Rio de Janeiro tell Around the Rings the variable weather they are encountering will only help when they compete here again in six months.
The 2016 International Aquatics Federation Diving World Cup from Feb. 19-24 is serving as sport’s test event at the recently completed Maria Lenk Aquatics Center. Originally a venue for the 2007 Pan American Games, the venue has been upgraded to handle three Olympic sports, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo.
It is also the first outdoor Olympic diving facility since the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
Despite only being two days into competitions, divers have faced a shifting sun, changing wind patterns, delays from thunderstorms, and two power outages. Despite the conditions, divers say they have trained in preparations mimicking them the best they could.
"We had a camp in [Florida] where it rained a lot and threw a lot of stuff at us," Jessica Parratto, a diver from the United States said to ATR. "I think we were really well prepared for whatever the weather does."
Parratto’s teammate Samantha Bromberg and David Boudia echoed the sentiments that weather will have no impact on performance.
"We were prepared for what was thrown at us," Bromberg said to ATR. "That’s kind of the point. Prepare for whatever weather is going to be and try to see the positives in that."
Boudia, a gold medalist at the London Olympics, told ATR his dives in the men’s 10m synchronized platform preliminary were not up to par, and there "were a lot of factors" accounting for that, but blaming weather conditions is counterproductive.
"I think when we boarded the plane we got a series of emails before preparing ourselves to get bug spray and applying it twice a day," Boudia said to ATR. "I don’t think anyone on the US team, at least diving wise, is afraid of what Zika is right now because we don’t know a lot."
Teammate Bromberg reiterated the virus is "not anything we can control," and said that she is not letting a potential illness distract from the competition at hand.
The World Health Organization has echoed the confidence that athletes competing in Rio display, saying that the current outbreak of Zika will be "way down" by the time the 2016 Olympics begin because of the South American winter.
"Brazil is going to have a fantastic Olympics and it's going to be a successful Olympics and the world is going to go there," Bruce Aylward, WHO executive director for outbreaks and health emergencies, said at a news conference on Feb. 19.
British synchronized diver Alicia Blagg said to ATR that the virus is "not our main concern," here in Rio. Her partner Rebecca Gallantree emphasized the disease did not register as a concern for the pair when travelling down to Rio.
"We’re just focusing on the diving."
Below is a video of the current state of the Rio Olympic Park from the city government:
Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro
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