Jordan Windle and Brandon Loschiavo competed in both the semifinal and final rounds of the 10-Meter Platform competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Windle and Loschiavo qualified for the finals by placing ninth and tenth, respectively, in the semifinal round of the Olympics.
Both divers started off strong by scoring 7’s and 7.5’s on their dives. Despite a few mishaps mid-round, both divers remained consistent throughout their rounds. Windle ended the competition in ninth with Loschiavo in tenth.
“Overall I’m really happy,” said Windle. “I was happy just to make it to the final. My body wasn’t 100 percent but I was trying to just push through it and just try to stay healthy with the foods I was eating so overall, I was just really happy.”
“It wasn’t exactly the finish I wanted but it was a finish,” said Loschiavo, “To run through the journey itself was an honor. I think you figure out it’s more than a marathon than a sprint, especially if you’re diving individual. You wait 19 days to get to your actual competition. You have to remember to conserve energy, and I think that’s something that at least I learned was maybe I ran a little too fast at the start and maybe got a little burnt out at the end. It was a great experience and I’m just grateful for everyone that was fighting the good fight alongside me.”
The 2020 U.S. Olympic Diving Team consisted of 11 divers. Of the seven events that the U.S. competed in, the program earned three medals. The U.S. Women’s Diving Team had their best Olympics since 1988, earning a historic first medal in the 10-Meter Platform with Delaney Schnell and Jessica Parratto’s Silver, as well as the first medal in the 3-Meter Springboard since 1988 with Krysta Palmer’s Bronze. Andrew Capobianco and Michael Hixon defended Team USA’s spot on the podium in Men’s 3-Meter Springboard with another silver medal for the third straight Olympiad.
“I’m extremely proud of how this team performed. These (Olympic) Games brought a lot of fresh faces to our team, including athletes who will be in our sport through Paris 2024 and even LA 2028,” said Dan Laak, High Performance Director of USA Diving. “If you look at the team, out of the 11 athletes, only three competed in Rio five years ago. In the individual events, seven of the eight athletes were first-time Olympians and six of them qualified for finals. Diving in the U.S. has been really trending in a positive direction and this young team is a testament to that, and I really believe that the mentorship of our veteran athletes really set them up for success through their encouragement and prior experience. These athletes should be proud of not only what they accomplished in the water, but also of what they’re doing as advocates for our sport. I hope that our athletes’ stories throughout this Olympic journey inspire some kids at home to try diving.”
“It’s just cool to see everyone who has worked so hard,” said Loschiavo. “The past five years were hard – more specifically the last year of being shut down and then really trying to push that final year in the quad. I think we all kind of did it together with the World Cup and other meets like NCAAs or Trials. Everyone fought really hard, and I was just honored to be here with a great group.”
“It was extraordinary to be here with people that I’ve been able to dive with for many years. The atmosphere in general has been incredible,” said Windle. “Being able to be roommates here with some of my best friends and some mentors as well. Overall, I think everyone did a great job with Covid happening and keeping up with our training and stay positive with a mindset. I think it’s only going to boost us knowing that if we can get past this then I think we can just get better from here.”
— The above press release from the Tokyo Olympic Games was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with USA Diving. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.