By KAREN DUFFIN
Thirty years later, Keith Russell still remembers the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and his fourth place finish there.
Russell, BYU's head diving coach, was predicted to win the 1968 Olympic diving competition after a college career that included national and NCAA championships. However, in an event where rankings and reputations come down to a few fateful dives, Russell was not destined to have his golden moment.
Despite the magnitude of the Olympics, it is the journey to the Olympics Russell remembers and appreciates most.
Born in Mesa, Ariz., where you take to the water out of necessity to escape the sweltering heat, Russell began swimming as a young child. He began his aquatic career swimming for a local team, the Mesa Aquatics.
Swimming and diving teams traditionally compete together for a combined team score. Mesa Aquatics continually lost because they were without divers. So Russell began his diving career almost on accident, diving to give the team the extra points.
He quickly adapted to the new sport, competing in the national championships at the age of 13. At that point, he decided to drop swimming and be a full-time diver.
At 16, Russell was considered one of the top divers in the country, placing third in the national championship and second place the next year.
A national champion at age 19, Russell began contemplating whether to leave for a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that year or wait and train for the Olympics. Choosing to pursue the Olympic dream first, Russell began preparing for Mexico City.
'I had to strike the right balance between training, but being careful to not get injured,' Russell said.
The training paid off as Russell won the Olympic trials and was weighted to win the gold medal.
His next stop was Mexico City and the Olympic dream Russell called indescribable.
'It is hard to put into words the feelings you have walking onto the field for the opening ceremonies. It is one of those great experiences you wish everyone could have,' Russell said.
But getting to the Olympic games was only half the battle. After giving 15 years of his life to intense training and practice, everything he had sacrificed came down to a few dives.
'At the Olympics, if you don't do it, you just don't do it. Regardless of whatever else you have done, it comes down to those dives,' Russell said.
Under intense pressure from the expectations placed on him, Russell said his mental focus was not as strong as it needed to be. Added to that, the culmination of his life's work came down to these few moments, and the personal pressure he put on himself skyrocketed. Russell says he took the pressure too hard.
When it came down to the last three dives in the finals, Russell was still a contender for the gold medal. The crowd, knowing Russell could upset the victory for a Mexican diver in the same competition, made noise in an attempt to distract him.
The pressure, combined with the crowd's distraction, was just enough to upset Russell's pursuit of the gold, putting him in fourth place, just behind the medal positions.
Russell said the disappointment of coming in fourth was almost greater than if he had not even come close to a medal. After the Olympics, it was time for him to move on and find something else to focus on.
'It had been a goal of mine for so many years, I didn't have an alternative plan,' Russell said.
Fortunately, his mission call came during the Games and Russell was afforded the distraction of two years in Chile.
Russell has since gone on to coach in Arizona and Houston, and has been at BYU for six years. He said the fourth place Olympic finish motivated him to become a coach.
'I have gone through the best and the worst. I hope my divers can have those same kinds of experiences. It teaches you so much about who you are,' Russell said.
And so it is the journey Russell remembers and appreciates most. He says he gave up a great deal to participate in the Olympic dream. But the sacrifice was well worth it in his eyes.
'The journey and being able to dedicate yourself 100 percent to something -- that is what this life is about,' Russell said. 'It has shaped my life as a whole.'
What is the one lesson he learned from his life's experiences? Never have just one goal. Have other goals that will suffice if you don't make it there.
And the best lesson? You never know what will happen, so hang in there.
'You train for years and years and you fail more times than you succeed. But if you hang in there enough, something good is going to happen,' Russell said.
Despite the excitement of championships, Olympic competition and international experiences, Russell said he believes everyone has a story similar to his.
'I believe everyone goes to their own Olympics,' Russell said.
So, what is the advice of this tough competitor? Enjoy the journey -- give it all you have. And keep yourself solidly grounded in the Gospel. Something good is bound to happen if you stick it out.