Wendy Wyland VanDerWoude, 38; Olympic Medalist
Wendy Wyland VanDerWoude, 38, who as Wendy Wyland won the bronze medal in platform diving at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, died Saturday in a Rochester, N.Y., hospital.
An autopsy was performed in an attempt to determine the cause of death.
Her family said she had had migraine headaches for the last 22 months.
VanDerWoude, who retired in 1990, finished third in diving from the 10-meter platform in 1984, behind gold medalist Zhou Jihong of China and Michele Mitchell of the U.S. It was not her first major medal. She had earned the gold in 10-meter platform diving at the 1982 World Championships and a gold in platform and silver in the 3-meter springboard diving events at the 1982 Pan American games.
A seven-time national champion on the platform, she earned a bronze medal in the 1986 World Championships.
Unlike her colleagues, VanDerWoude never got “lost†-- losing track of where one’s body is in relation to the water -- in a dive. Her Mission Viejo coach Ron O’Brien attributed that to her “incredible cat’s sense.â€
A gymnast and swimmer in Rochester, VanDerWoude began diving at the age of 10.
When her first coach retired, she left her family at the age of 14 and moved to Mission Viejo to work with O’Brien.
Even in her youth, she impressed observers with her determination, concentration and courage.
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