University of Pittsburgh diving coach Julian Krug is the first one to tell you he’s a lucky guy. He’s coached indoor men’s diving at Pitt for 37 years. This past year alone, he won the NCAA Men’s Diving Coach of the Year Award and ACC Coach of the Year.
But all those accolades pale in comparison to his biggest achievement, being a dad and watching his daughter, Cassidy, compete in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
“It was was nerve-wracking, but if you think about it, I am not doing her any good by being nervous,” Krug said. “It’s your own daughter and you want her to do brilliantly well.”
She made quite a splash in her first and only Olympics, finishing seventh in the 3-meter springboard.
Krug and his wife, Dorothy, have been consultants for NBC’s Olympics for coverage of the diving competitions for the past six Summer Games. Krug is not in Rio de Janeiro this year, but his wife and daughter are.
He says Team USA has some opportunities to steal a few medals in diving from China, which is the favorite, but the weather will likely determine the winner since the diving venue is outdoors.
“You have the possibility for everything: wind, rain, lightning, everything,” he said. “The wind will cause trouble and the contest will go on.”
We’ve already seen the impact of the weather on the diving well. Green water baffled people for days. The source was later linked to algae.
Krug said Team USA trained outdoors to prepare for the weather.