The 16-year-old Jordan Pisey Windle was adopted by American Jerry Windle when he was 2 years old and grew up with a passion for diving, a sport in which he has now attained a great deal of proficiency.
Between the time he jumped for fun into a pool during a summer camp as a child to his teen years, Windle’’s love for diving has brought him the Junior National Championship on the one-metre springboard and a path to Olympic aspirations.
His fourth-place finish in the World Championship synchronised diving trials ensured he would be the youngest diver ever to qualify for the US Olympic diving team trials.
With a Pan American Championship gold and the junior national title on the 10-metre platform in his bag of laurels, Pisey Windle is now within touching distance of an Olympic dive in Brazil.
The youngster was excited to be back in Cambodia for his first visit since he left a Phnom Penh orphanage where he had spent roughly a year before his American father took him to the US.
On Monday, Windle met the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia’s secretary-general Vath Chamreoun in his office at the organisation’s headquarters.
“It was a very interesting conversation with him. His is a very inspiring story of sports adventure and great achievements. He is excited about representing the Kingdom and so are we. He was born here and he is eligible,’’ Vath Chamroeun told the Post yesterday.
“His presence and his impressive credentials may help develop the sport here. We could be looking at him for next year’s SEA Games in Malaysia and other regional and international events,’’ he said.
“Being as young as he is and with such a bright future ahead of him, he would be a great asset for Cambodia as we prepare to host the 2023 SEA Games,’’ Chamreoun added.