Sarah Bacon, Alison Gibson Qualify on 3-Meter at Olympic Team Trials

June 22, 2024, 10:37 PM (ET)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Sarah Bacon (Indianapolis, Ind./Minneapolis, Minn.) and Alison Gibson (Austin, Texas) will represent the U.S. in women’s 3-meter springboard at the Olympic Games after finishing first and second in Saturday’s final at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Bacon scored 639.00 points over two 3-meter lists to finish first to add a second event to her Paris schedule. She had already secured a spot in synchronized 3-meter earlier in the week.

Gibson finished with 635.10 points to qualify for her second Olympic Games after competing in synchronized meter in Tokyo.

Just 7.55 points separated first from third heading into the final round.

“We have a lot of very good women’s 3-meter divers in this country. It’s a very deep field. It’s almost more stressful in the Olympic Trials than it is overseas against the other countries I would say, just because there are so many good female divers here in the U.S.,” Bacon said.

Krysta Palmer (Reno, Nevada), the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist in 3-meter, finished third with 629.25 points.

Gibson scored 70.50 points on her fourth-round dive, a reverse 2 ½ pike, to take the lead by a tenth of a point over Bacon heading into the last round, while Palmer was only 7.45 points out of second.

Palmer scored 69.70 points on a front 2 ½ with two twists to set the stage in the last round. Gibson followed with 68 points on the same dive. Bacon dove last and performed the less difficult front 2 ½ with one twist and came through with 72 points, the highest scoring dive by any diver in the final.

Bacon led by 23.55 points after Thursday’s semifinals, but she missed her second and third dives in the final to tighten the gap.

“I think my heart and everyone else’s hearts kind of sunk during that event when I missed two dives pretty badly. My coach (Wenbo Chen) just said that I gave him a couple more gray hairs after that event,” Bacon said. “I was able to pull through on my last two, which I’m really happy about. I got myself together, hit my last two dives, and was able to qualify for my second event. It feels great. I’m excited to get back to training a little more before Paris and get ready to roll.”

Gibson stepped away from diving after the 2020 Olympic Games, but Palmer – her synchro partner in Tokyo and at these trials – was among those who helped convince her to come back in the fall of 2023.

“Krysta is everything to me. She literally called me back into this sport. I would not be standing here today if it wasn’t for her. She has played an essential role in helping me grow as a person, as a competitor, as a friend. So much credit to her. This success is her success as well,” Gibson said.

Gibson also credited others who helped her along the way.

“It feels incredible. I want to say that this success is not my own success, it’s the success of every single person that supported me along the way. My friends, my family, my coaches, my company, my co-workers, my sponsors. All those people made this journey possible,” Gibson said. “Yes this is an incredible victory for me, but it’s also an incredible victory for all those people in my life who have supported me throughout my journey. It feels amazing.”

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials wrap up Sunday with men’s 3-meter and women’s 10-meter finals.

Women’s 3-Meter Final Results
1. Sarah Bacon, Unattached, 639.00;2. Alison Gibson, Longhorn Aquatics, 635.10;3. Krysta Palmer, Unattached, 629.25;4. Kristen Hayden, Johansen Diving Academy, 594.60;5. Sophie Verzyl, RipFest, 587.40;6. Anne Fowler, Johansen Diving Academy, 581.80;7. Hailey Hernandez, Longhorn Aquatics,
572.80;8. Kyndal Knight, Kentucky Diving Club, 561.95;9. Samantha Pickens, City of Midland, 551.00;10. Samantha Vear, Unattached, 531.90;11. Margo O'Meara, Unattached, 507.00;12. Anna Kwong, Unattached, 501.40

Women's 3-Meter Final

5 photos