U.S. Olympic Diving Trials are taking place June 6-13 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and NBCOlympics.com and the networks of NBC will have live coverage of all rounds of competition. Below is a preview of the big storylines for Thursday, June 10.
What to watch for
The United States Olympic Diving Team for Tokyo will get its first two members Thursday night with the conclusion of the women’s synchronized 3m springboard competition at the U.S. Diving Trials.
Alison Gibson and Krysta Palmer lead the duo of Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook by 21.45 points with five dives remaining in what has essentially become a two-team race for the Olympic berth.
While Gibson, 21, and Palmer, 28, are both in search of their first Olympics appearance, they are no strangers to the big stage. They represented the U.S. in the synchro springboard at the last major international competition, the 2019 World Championships, finishing 10th. Palmer also leads the individual women’s springboard competition through the semifinal round.
But the U.S. holds an Olympic quota spot in the event thanks to Bacon and Cook. Their fifth-place finish at the 2021 Diving World Cup earned the U.S. Olympic qualification in the synchro springboard.
Cook is the lone Olympic veteran of the foursome, having finished 13th in the individual springboard at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She stepped away from diving after the Games but returned in 2019 to train for a second Olympics. She has battled a shoulder injury in recent months which has prevented her form competing individually at Trials.
Cook balked a dive in the preliminary round, putting her and Bacon in an early deficit they have gradually attempted to reduce as the competition has progressed. The competition format at U.S. Trials is cumulative, meaning scores from the preliminary and semifinal rounds carry over into the final.