Mark Ruiz is an Olympic diver

Diving

Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...

 from Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. Ruiz represented the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games and the 2004 Olympic Games.

Childhood

Ruiz took up diving at the age of 9. Upon a coach's suggestion, he moved to the U.S. at 12 to take advantage of the better training system. During the spring nationals in 1999, he swept all three events (10-meter platform, 3-meter springboard

Springboard

A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type....

 and the non-Olympic event of 1-meter springboard), becoming the first diver since Greg Louganis in 1988 to accomplish this feat.
Ruiz is a graduate of Dr. Phillips High School

Dr. Phillips High School

Dr. Phillips High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida, United States.The area of Dr. Phillips, Florida is named after Dr. Philip Phillips, a physician who later became a Central Florida citrus magnate. He was responsible for several key innovations in the processing and packaging of...

 in Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

. He was a member of the swimming and diving team and was the individual state champion for diving all four years he competed.

Competition

Mark's first attempt at the Olympics happened at the 1996 Trials. Ruiz also competes in synchronized diving (springboard and platform), which will have medal events for the first time in Sydney. Ruiz, a four-time national champion in the platform, has already qualified in the platform and 3-meter springboard. He and partner Rio Ramirez finished fourth in the 3-meter springboard at the 2000 World Cup. Mark retired (temporarily) after the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Career

After his temporary retirement from competition, Ruiz taught diving clinics at the Orlando YMCA.

Achievements

• 2004 Olympic Team

• 2000 Olympic Team

• 2000 Olympic Team Trials, platform, 3-meter springboard, 1st

• 2000 National Indoor Championships, platform, 3-meter springboard, 1st

• 2000 National Indoor Championships, synchronized, platform, 1st

• 2000 World Cup, platform, 5th; 3-meter springboard, 7th

• 1999 Summer National Championships, synchronized, 3-meter springboard, 1st, platform, 2nd

• 1999 Summer National Championships, platform, 3- and 1-meter springboard, 1st

• 1999 Pan American Games, 3-meter springboard, 1st, platform, 5th

• 1999 World Cup, platform, 3rd

• 1999 Spring National Championships, synchronized, platform, 1st; 3-meter springboard, 3rd

• 1999 Spring National Championships, platform, 3- and 1-meter springboard, 1st

• 1998 Summer National Championships, synchronized, platform, 1st

• 1998 Summer National Championships, platform, 1-meter springboard, 1st; 3-meter springboard, 2nd

• 1998 Goodwill Games, 3-meter springboard, 10th; platform, 6th

• 1997 World Cup, platform, 5th

External links

• Olympic Trial Photos
• Mark Ruiz Home Page - incomplete
• sports-reference