Head-First Dive Leads Neville To Olympic Medal

BY LEROY BRIDGES
Times Correspondent

BEIJING | Diving head-first was David Neville's only option at winning an Olympic medal.
The Merrillville graduate finished the 400-meter finals on his chest – not his feet – and it earned him a Bronze medal Thursday morning in Beijing.
"I felt people coming up on me on the inside and there was nothing else I could do," said Neville an hour after his race. "The first thing that popped into my mind to save that medal was to dive."
The dive completed his 44.80 second run and edged Christopher Brown of the Bahamas by .04 seconds..
"I couldn't have asked for anything better," Neville said. "I was really nervous but really confident. I just knew something spectacular was going to happen."
His nerves led to a blazing start that made the final 100 meters a struggle but his father, David Jr., knew a fast start was the key to being in position to medal.
"At the 200 (meter mark), he was way out there and looking good," David Jr. said. "At this level, you have to go for it. He did it. Praise the Lord."
The confidence David had in the starting blocks wasn't something new. Last month, The Times asked him how he felt going to the Olympics.
"Gut feeling? I will get a medal in Beijing. Top three," he said. "That's what I'm praying for."
Even fewer than 24 hours before the finals, David said he had the same feeling.
"I believe God put me on this Olympic team to go out there and win this medal," David said. "The fate lies in His hands and this is what He had in store for me.Nobody would have figured it but God had a plan for me."
David wasn't a favorite heading in the race. He entered the finals with the slowest time from the semi-finals. On top of that, LaShawn Merritt (43.75) and Jeremy Wariner (44.74) of the U.S. were expected to win the Gold and Silver medals as they did.
"The focus has been on so many other athletes," David Jr. said. "Nobody talked about him medaling at all. That's fine. He did it."
During David's celebration lap with American flags draped over their shoulders, father and son embraced.
"We were surrounded by the flag. It gave us that moment of separation," David Jr. said. "Way to go son."
Two hours after the race, his mother, Judy, still couldn't believe what her son had accomplished.
"This whole moment is surreal," said Judy just before she started to cry. "During the medal ceremony, I looked at the jumbotron and said 'That's my son. He did it.' It was a wonderful moment."
David gets fewer than 24 hours to enjoy his Bronze medal as he will compete in the 1,600 meter relay today. The U.S. is team is favored to win Gold after sweeping the 400-meter finals. The first round begins at 7:22 a.m. Region time.

Published in the Northwest Indiana Times on Aug. 2, 2008