Olympic Profiles
TOOLBOX   Resize
 Save/Share +
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
|
Paola Espinosa, Mexico, Diving
Mexican bloggers have been gushing about Paola Espinosa's cover-girl looks. Terra, a heavily trafficked Spanish Web site, posted a 16-photo gallery of Espinosa under the headline "The beauty sets off for Beijing."
But while the Web buzzes about Espinosa's appearance, judges and serious Olympic fans are captivated by her whirligig dives.
Espinosa, who is from the Baja California resort city of La Paz, has won two world championships this year, including top honors in May in the 10-meter platform competition in Sheffield, England. In the Mexican media, she's been dubbed the "queen" of a new generation of scintillating Mexican divers, as well as one of the country's great hopes for gold in Beijing.
Espinosa, who turns 22 on July 31, already is an Olympic veteran, despite her youth. She came out of nowhere to make the Mexican Olympic squad for the 2004 Games in Athens and barely missed winning a medal.
In China, she should find the athletic traditions familiar. For years, she has been trained by the respected Chinese coach Ma Jin.
-- Manuel Roig-Franzia
