UH junior diver Anastasia Pozdniakova might not yet be the world’s most talked-about diver, but she has already made a name for herself on the world’s biggest stage.
Pozdniakova made a splashing Olympics debut when she teamed up with former UH diver Yulia Pakhalina to win the silver medal in the women’s 3-meter synchronized springboard diving competition Aug. 10 in Beijing. The Russian natives racked up 323.61 points to the 343.5 totaled by the winning Chinese duo of Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia.
For Pozdniakova, a 22-year old diver with a lot of highly competitive years left in her, look for things to become much better.
When Pozdniakova returned to Houston, she brought that silver medal and a load of prestige to the already top-notch UH diving program.
Pozdniakova sat out last season while preparing for the Beijing Olympics, opening the door for someone else to dominate in C-USA. This time, it was Southern Methodist junior Britney Yancey (3-meter diving) and UH sophomores Courtney Forcucci (1-meter diving) and Lacey Truelove (platform diving) who took top billing among the divers at last year’s C-USA championship meet.
That was then, but the now is fast approaching with Pozdniakova set to retake C-USA – and the nation – by storm.
Pure dominance
Let’s be honest: If Pozdniakova had competed at last season’s C-USA meet, she would have at least claimed the 1- and 3-meter diving titles.
As a redshirt freshman in 2006, Pozdniakova was the runner-up in the C-USA 1- and 3-meter diving events, and she finished third in platform diving. In 2007, she won the conference’s 3-meter championship by more than 75 points, won a second title in the 1-meter and finished third in platform en route to being named C-USA Diver of the Meet.
After that, the hits kept coming. Pozdniakova claimed the 1-and 3-meter championships at the 2007 NCAA Zone D Meet, and ended the season as the national runner-up in the 3-meter event. She was later named an All-American.
Pozdniakova has improved each season under the tutelage of UH diving coach Jane Figueiredo, a two-time NCAA Diving Coach of the Year. One can only imagine how much better she’ll perform this season with Olympic experience under her belt.
Still growing
Pozdniakova is enrolled in the class of the nation’s most talented divers. But that doesn’t mean she still won’t make mistakes.
During the women’s 3-meter synchronized springboard diving competition in Beijing, Pozdniakova struggled to complete her and Pakhalina’s third dive, a back 2Ω somersault pike. Pakhalina, who won gold in 2000 and silver in 2004 in the same event with former partner Vera Ilyina, had to offer some words of encouragement.
That pep talk helped the duo hold on to second place.
"I talked to Vera prior to this performance, and she taught me what to say to (Anastasia)," Pakhalina, 30, told the Houston Chronicle. "(Anastasia) had a little mistake on our third dive, and I had to give her a little boost."
Pozdniakova has a chance to grow even more as a diver this season. She will continue in her quest to take the nation – and someday, the world – by storm.
