Sonoma Article

7.23.04 -- After a stellar prep and collegiate diving career as a competitor, Adam Soldati - a 1992 Sonoma Valley High School (SVHS) graduate - became a dedicated and successful coach whose world revolves around the sport.

Actually, you can say Soldati, 30, is married to the sport of diving, both figuratively and literally. His wife, Kimiko Hirai Soldati, recently proved she is the best 3-meter diver in the country by winning the event at the United State Olympic trials and making the U.S. women's Olympic diving team.

Kimiko will be traveling to Athens, Greece, for the Olympics on July 31, with Adam - who has coaching commitments - joining her on Aug. 20, for seven to eight days. Her Olympic competition will take place Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 25 and 26.

The road to the Olympics has been a long one for Kimiko, 30, who, after a 10-year gymnastic career, took up diving in her latter high school years. She has progressed at a rapid rate since, and has reached the pinnacle in her sport. She has been a collegiate national-champion diver, was honored as the 2002 USOC (United States Olympic Committee) Diver of the Year and the 2001-02 USA Diving Diver of the Year, has been featured in Sports Illustrated and appears in Speedo ads.

"Kimiko - who is a very talented athlete - was a late starter and bloomer in diving and she continues to strive to be the best woman diver in the world," said Adam Soldati. "She has overcome the tragedy of her mother dying of breast cancer when she was a junior in high school, as well as seven surgeries on her shoulders and knees - and now she has a chance to win an Olympic medal."

At the Olympic diving trials, Kimiko - who earlier had a heartbreaking second-place finish in the platform synchro competition - took a first-round lead in the 3-meter event, but two off-dives in the second round dropped her to third place.

Kimiko - whose father, Gary Hirai, was born in a World War II Idaho internment camp for American citizens of Japanese descedent - rallied back with a series of outstanding dives to win the 3-meter-board title.

"The competition at the trials was emotionally and physically brutal. But Kimiko was determined to succeed and finished strong to earn the win," said Adam Soldati.

The Soldatis met and became good friends at Indiana University nearly 10 years ago, where they were both star divers for the school's diving teams, with Kimiko winning the 1996 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) diving title on the 1-meter board. She was also named the 1996 NCAA Athlete of the Year.

Adam had transferred to Indiana on scholarship from Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) and Kimiko from Colorado State University.

They both graduated from Indiana University - one of the top diving schools in the country and a national champion and producer of national-champion swimmers - in 1997, when they started dating and ended up getting married in May of 2000 in Sonoma.

Adam continued in the sport as Indiana University's assistant diving coach - and helped start the Indiana Diving Age Group Club - while Kimiko remained a top competitor in the world of diving.

In 2000, Adam and Kimiko joined the Woodland Diving Team - a renowned private club located in The Woodlands, Texas, a community 30 minutes north of Houston.

With Adam serving as head coach of the Woodlands Diving Team's junior division (ages 18-and-under) - having won two Junior National titles and producing four individual champions - he has been able to follow Kimiko every step of the way into the Olympics.

Kimiko's coach is Kenny Anderson - the Woodlands' senior division and U.S. Diving team's head coach - who she has trained and thrived under him ever since 2000.

"Kimiko and me have been very fortunate to be part of Indiana University diving - but being part of the diving program at The Woodlands for the past four years has been awesome," said Adam Soldati. "Woodlands is a diving 'mecca' in this country - it has one of the best facilities in the world and also serves as the national training center for diving. It's great for me to coach the Woodlands junior team and also assist Kenny (Anderson) and my goal is to be an Olympic coach in four years."

Adam - son of Sonoma's Carol and Bob Soldati - was a standout prep competitior for the SVHS Dragons, who won the Sonoma County League diving championship before moving on to SRJC, where as a Bear Cub he claimed the State junior college diving title.

Upon receiving a host of college scholarship offers, (Adam) Soldati accepted his dream offer and became a scholarship diver for Indiana University, who he helped to capture third place in 1996-97 Big Ten swimming and diving championships. He individually qualified for, and competed in, the NCAA indoor and outdoor platform diving championships and got to compete in the Olympic trials.

Soldati was later an Alpha-Beta honorary member graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the school of business.

When the Olympics in Athens begin, the Index-Tribune will have updates on Kimiko, along with her and Adam's Olympic diving experience.