Olympic medallist Anne Montminy hasn't completely ruled out competing in Athens in 2004, but you won't see her on the top of a diving tower in the next year.

The 26-year-old Montminy, who won bronze in women's platform diving and silver in the new synchronized diving event in Sydney, admits she still gets the itch to dive. But life has taken her on a different path for now. The Montreal native will finish articling at the Montreal law firm Davies, Ward, Phillips and Vineberg on Friday.

She's moving to New York next month where she has been accepted in the year-long master's program at New York University. And next June, she is getting married to American Daniel Goldman.

Montminy says she has to decide by the end of 2002 if she's going to train for Athens.

After next year there's no way, Montminy said via telephone from Montreal. If I don't get my act together next year, there's no way I can get back.

While the chances of her returning to competition are low, Montminy won't utter the words I'm retiring yet.

I can't say 'no' yet, she said. It's always possible, especially with that synchro diving there. If anyone comes up to me and says 'We need somebody to do 10-metre and we need it to be you', that's tempting.

Montminy has been diving since she was six years old, so it wouldn't be difficult to get into competition shape.

As you get older, it's a lot easier to maintain yourself as an athlete, she said. You have a lot more confidence and you know what it takes. You're not so insecure that you're training 24 hours a day.

She hasn't been on the diving tower since Sydney last September, but she watched an international Canada Cup diving competition in Montreal during the winter.

I realized I could still make the team, she said.

Articling is notorious for being very difficult. The first few months I was articling I wasn't even thinking about it. But then when I had a little more time on my hands, I did start to dream about it. That I had not done since the Olympics.

That's when I started to want to go back. I know I can still do the stuff I used to.

Montminy has always made sure her life's plate is full, but even she found the transition from full-time athlete/student to a member of the workforce jarring. She described the feeling as going from hero to zero.

There were some lows knowing I don't do anything cool anymore, she said. I miss being really good at something. If I didn't have my profession right now I'd be back in the pool.

Neither time nor the experience of entering the field of law has altered her perspective of her performance in Sydney.

I'm still pissed that I didn't win the gold, she laughed. I still think about it and thought 'If I just could have . . .' because it was so close. Sometimes I wonder if my life would have been any different if I'd won that gold medal.

It'll be awhile I think before I really appreciate what I did.

Montminy is smart, articulate and photogenic, yet has had no significant offers to do corporate endorsements.

I didn't expect it because I think a lot of people assumed I would retire after the Olympics, she said. If I'm not competing and if I probably won't compete in the next Olympics in Athens, how am I an asset?

She says companies tend to get involved with elite amateur athletes only in Olympic years.

I got a lot of sponsorship before the Olympics, but afterwards, what are you going to promote? she asked.