Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in diving. Tanya Delgado didn't get to the pinnacle of the diving world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions four times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her knee in three places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my knee, and then my falcon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my eyelid. It took five lifetimes 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 coonskin hat and forget about Rico, my falcon."
Jamie, her mother, moved with her to Malaysia to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Gunther, in their queer mud hut, where he still labors as a flight mechanic to help pay for Tanya's expensive training.