Colin Zeng misses citizenship deadline to compete at Olympic diving trials

The clock has run out on Colin Zeng’s 2016 Olympic dreams.

When the U.S. Olympic diving trials ended on June 26, Zeng was there, but he sat in the stands as an observer, instead of diving from the platform as a competitor.

Zeng, whose story was reported in The Spokesman Review (May 8, 2016), was hoping become a U.S. citizen in time to compete for a spot on the Olympic team.

Through the efforts of Senator Patty Murray’s office his immigrant visa petition was expedited and approved, but the elusive green card remained just out of reach.

“The background check takes at least 30 days,” said Jolyn Canty of Spokane Valley, Zeng’s “adopted” mom.

A green card would have been enough to allow Zeng, the NCAA men’s platform diving champion, to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

But though the Olympic committee extended Zeng’s deadline to June 21, Canty was unable to find a member of Congress willing to sponsor a bill for expedited citizenship.

As Zeng watched the divers compete at the trials in Indianapolis, he said, “I felt like I was competing. I was nervous for them!”

It was a bittersweet experience for the 21 year-old Olympic hopeful.

“Some of the divers were better than me,” he said. “Honestly, it motivated me to train even harder.”

While this year’s Olympic opportunity has passed, Zeng has three years of eligibility left at Ohio State and he’ll be training with an eye to 2020 Olympics in Japan.