Team USA athlete Alison Gibson's Olympic journey came to a heartbreaking end on Wednesday when she hit her heels on the board and was awarded a score of 0.0 on her first dive at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
The shocking moment came during the preliminary round of the women's 3m springboard competition on day 12 of the Paris Olympics. Gibson was in a stuck position during a somersault when the bottom of her feet suddenly hit the springboard with a loud bang. She fell into the water as the crowd audibly gasped and her effort was ruled a non-dive.
Although the 25-year-old athlete completed her remaining four dives with a total score of 198.30, she finished last and could not advance to the semi-finals due to receiving zero points.
“I hit my heels and my feet on the board,” Gibson explained to reporters via NBC's Olympics website. “I got cuts on my sides and then I pretty much smashed my right heel, but I was determined to keep going.”
“But one thing I said is, I hope everyone who watched it saw what it's like to get back up and keep going even when things don't go your way. It's about the fight,” he continued. “Obviously, today didn't go my way, but I think you can learn from every experience and grow, and I really hope that the next generation of athletes realize that even in the worst of times, you can keep fighting, you can walk bravely.”
While Gibson's time at the Olympics didn't go as she had hoped, she later shared footage of the ill-fated dive on Instagram, explaining that she had never experienced anything like it in her 15 years participating in the sport.
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“I kept my head up and kept fighting until the end of that event,” Gibson wrote in text overlaid on the video. “This is what being an American is about. It’s about standing strong through the ups and downs with determination and perseverance. This was far from the outcome I wanted, but I fought with everything I had to represent my country the best I could, and I’m proud of that.”
“To outsiders, this may seem like an embarrassing failure. But for me, this journey to the Olympics was anything but a failure,” she added. “And I hope my courage inspires others to keep fighting, even when they feel like all is lost.”
Gibson previously competed in the synchronized springboard event at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which was held in 2021 due to the pandemic, but finished last there as well.