Alex Despatie does 'the dive' for 1st time since injury

Canada's Alex Despatie has executed the same dive on which he suffered a head injury last month, an important milestone in his bid to recover his form in time for the London Olympics.

Despatie tweeted Tuesday: "I'm sharing with you guys the first time i redid ‘the’ dive last friday in Rome #proudmoment #movingforward"

He included a link to a 10-second video that shows Despatie on a three-metre springboard executing an inward 3½-somersault tuck — the same dive that led to an injury on June 12 when he struck his head on the board while practising for a Grand Prix event in Madrid. The blow left Despatie with what he later called a "small concussion" and a 10-centimetre gash just below his hairline that required stitches, staples, and later a plastic surgeon to repair.

The injury threw a wrench into the two-time Olympic silver medallist’s preparations for the London Games, where he's slated to first compete on Aug. 1 in the men’s three-metre springboard synchronized event with teammate Reuben Ross. Despatie is also entered in the three-metre individual competition on Aug. 6.

The Laval, Que., native has mostly stayed hidden from the media since his injury, providing occasional updates on his condition via audio files released by Diving Canada.

At a press conference in Quebec on July 5, Despatie announced that he still planned to compete in London. He said he was free of post-concussion symptoms and adhering to a cautious training program, but at the time had not yet resumed practising the dives he plans to perform at the Olympics.