Jan Hempel
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Jan Hempel (born 21 August 1971) is a German diver who competed at the 1988, 1992, 1996, and the 2000 Summer Olympics, winning two Olympic medals. Hempel won a silver in 10 m Platform and a bronze medal in 10 m synchronized platform. He also competed on the 3m springboard, scoring "the second best dive of all time" in Vienna in 1993.
Hempel was born in Dresden.
Hempel made his Olympic debut at age 17 in Seoul. Hempel placed fifth.
Hempel returned to the Olympics in Barcelona, but again did not medal, placing fourth.
The third time was charm, as Hempel won silver in the 10 m platform, scoring 663.27. He saved his toughest dive for last. He nailed the back 1½ somersault with 4½ twists from the free position, earning 92.88 points. It was one of the two dives out of the 72 in the finals with a 3.6 degree of difficulty.
In the inaugural men's 10 m synchronized platform event, Hempel, now 29, with partner Heiko Meyer won the bronze medal at the Sydney 2000 Games, earning Hempel his second medal in four Olympic appearances.
Meyer and first-time Olympian Heiko Meyer began training together in 1998 and won the bronze medal at the World Championships later that year. The pair also won the event at the 1999 European Championships.
Despite these achievements, Hempel came into the 2000 Games with modest expectations. Hempel stated, "If you had asked us before the competition, we wouldn't have thought we were a chance for a medal." However, the team pulled off a solid performance on the program's most difficult dive, a back 3½ somersault tuck and reverse 3½ somersault tuck, scoring 78.54. Hempel continued, "It has the most risk but it paid off for us."
In the European Diving Championships, Hempel had an illustrious career winning silver in 1987 in Strasbourg, France, bronze in 1989 in Bonn, Germany, gold in 1993 in Sheffield, Great Britain, and silver in 1995 in Vienna, Austria.
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