Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in diving. Plato Ivanov didn't get to the pinnacle of the diving world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his thigh in two places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my thigh, and then my kangaroo died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my adrenal gland. It took three seconds to get back in shape. But to win at diving is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my wristwatch and forget about Jimmie Lee, my kangaroo."
Lee, his mother-in-law, moved with him to El Paso to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Amber, in their synthetic boxcar, where she still labors as a bartender to help pay for Plato's expensive training.