DIVING: 2011 FINA Diving World Series kicks off this week in Moscow The 2011 FINA Diving World Series kicks off this week with the first leg of the series set for March 18-19 in Moscow, Russia.
Photo Courtesy: www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/Peter H. Bick - Kassidy Cook (The Woodlands, Texas) and Cassidy Krug (Piittsburgh, Pa./Stanford, Calif.) also made the World Cup team after winning the women's 3-meter synchro title.
The 2011 FINA Diving World Series kicks off this week with the first leg of the series set for March 18-19 in Moscow, Russia .
The FINA World Series is an invitation-only competition for the top finishers from the 2011 FINA World Cup.
The U.S. will send a team of four divers to Moscow. Three-time Olympian Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif./Austin, Texas) will compete in synchronized with 16-year-old Michael Hixon (Amherst, Mass.) in Hixon’s senior international debut. Kassidy Cook (The Woodlands, Texas) and Cassidy Krug (Coraopolis, Pa./Stanford, Calif.) will compete in women’s synchronized 3-meter.
Dumais won the silver medal with Kristian Ipsen (Clayton, Calif.) at the 2010 FINA World Cup to qualify for the World Series, but will dive with Hixon in Russia as Ipsen is unable to attend the first leg of the series. Hixon won a bronze medal on 3-meter at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and paired with Ipsen to win the silver medal in 3-meter synchro at last year’s Junior World Championships. He finished seventh individually on 3-meter at last month’s USA Diving Winter National Championships.
Cook and Krug earned their spot in the World Series after placing fifth at the 2010 FINA World Cup. They won their second national title together at last month’s nationals.
David Boudia (Noblesville, Ind./Purdue), Nick McCrory (Chapel Hill, N.C./Duke) and Abby Johnston (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Duke) were also invited to participate but will not compete until later in the Series because of the NCAA Championships, which take place this week (women) and next (men). Boudia and McCrory were fourth in synchronized 10-meter and McCrory was eighth individually at last year’s World Cup, where Johnston finished eighth in women’s 3-meter. Ipsen also received an individual World Series invite after placing sixth on 3-meter.
