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In 1965, at 14-years old, Rachel Kealaonapua O’Sullivan won the U.S. Junior AAU one-meter board diving championships at Lincoln, Nebraska and declared right then and there that she wanted to be an Olympic diving champion someday. In October 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, she narrowly missed second place by a fraction of a point in the three-meter board diving event. She won a bronze medal for the United States. At the time of the Olympic Games, she was a 17-year old senior at Punahou High School and became the first athlete from Hawaii to place high in the competitive world of diving.
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Historical Timeline: 1965, Black nationalist leader Malcolm X shot to death at Harlem Rally in New York City. |
She did not make it to the 1972 Olympic Games in
Munich, Germany not because of a lack of talent, but
rather a lack of finances. O’Sullivan, now known as
Keala O’Sullivan Watson, was a highly respected
diving coach at Iolani High School. She continues to
inspire youngsters who have an interest in winning an
Olympic medal in diving.