ISHOF Class of 2024: Canadian Diver Alex Despatie to be Inducted as Honor Diver
Alexandre Despatie first came to public attention at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with an impressive gold medal on the 10-meter platform which included an unprecedented string of perfect 10s.
He was only 13 years old at the time, and the achievement was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.
At his first Olympic Games at Sydney 2000, he finished in fourth place in the 10m platform event. The next year, Alex Despatie won the silver medal at the World Championships in 2001 (Fukuoka) in the same event, and gold in 2003 (Barcelona), again at the World Championships, and again, on the platform. He recorded a score of 107.1 for his last dive, a single-round record.
At the 2004 Centennial Summer Olympics, Despatie won the silver medal in the men’s 3m springboard competition but finished out of the medal standings in fourth place in the 10m platform. This result was contrary to expectations going into the Games, where he was expected to win silver or gold in the 10m platform event and not place in the 3m springboard.
In front of his home crowd at the 2005 World Aquatic Championships in Montreal, he became world champion on the 3m springboard. He won with a world record score of 813.60 points, his “worst” dive being rated an average 8.5. Despatie followed up on that performance by winning the 1m springboard, with a world record score of 489.69.
Returning to Australia, this time for the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, Despatie went head-to-head with the best divers in the world, including the top-ranked Chinese diving team. Winning silver medals in the 3m event and the 3m synchro with partner Arturo Miranda, Despatie proved that he was one of the world’s best divers.
At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, he claimed a silver medal in the 3m springboard event and finished in fifth place in the 3m synchro event.
Despatie is the first, and only diver to have been world champion in all three individual categories (both springboards and platform).
Come join Alex Despatie and the rest of this year’s class of 2024 in Fort Lauderdale for the International Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremony. If you cannot join us, please consider making a donation.
To make a donation, click here: https://www.ishof.org/donate/
This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame Honorees include:
Honor Swimmers:
Lars Frölander (SWE)
Daniel Gyurta (HUN)
Dana Vollmer (USA)
1976 Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Gold Medal Relay Team (USA)
(Includes Shirley Babashoff, Wendy Boglioli, Kim Peyton*, Jill Sterkel)
Honor Divers:
Alexandre Despatie (CAN)
Yulia Pakhalina (RUS)
Wu Minxia (CHN) 2023
Honor Artistic Swimmer:
Virginie Dedieu (FRA)
Honor Water Polo Players:
Carmela “Lilli” Allucci (ITA)
Vladimir Akimov* (USSR)
Honor Coach:
Dennis Pursley (USA)
Honor Contributor:
Dale Neuburger (USA)
ISHOF 59th Annual Honoree Induction weekend
~ HOTEL INFORMATION ~
Host Hotel: Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort & Spa
To make reservations click here: https://book.passkey.com/e/50757008
321 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 467-1111. Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $229 per night,
Additional Hotel Option:
Courtyard Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach
Book your group rate for Honoree Ceremony
440 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 524-8733
Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $169 – $199 per night
~ TICKET INFORMATION ~
Friday, October 4, 2024: Includes:
The Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame (MISHOF) Induction Ceremony
The ISHOF Aquatic Awards presented by AquaCal and
The ISHOF Specialty Awards
Click here to purchase tickets: MISHOF/AWARDS
Saturday, October 5, 2024: Includes
The 59th Annual International Swimming Hall of Fame Honoree Induction Ceremony
The Al Schoenfield Media Award and
The 2024 ISHOF Gold Medallion Award
Click here to purchase tickets: INDUCTION