Olympic Diving Preview: Men Head Into Springboard Preliminaries

Kristian Ipsen wins the 3 meter springboard diving event.

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS

By Erin Keaveny, Swimming World College Intern

On August 25, at 2:15pm ET twenty nine men will compete for eighteen semifinal spots in Men’s individual springboard. Americans Michael Hixon and Kristian Ipsen will face off against the word’s best.

Hixon recently won a surprise silver medal with synchro partner Sam Dorman. Diver Jack Laugher (GBR) and Cao Yuan (CHN) are also coming off of gold and bronze medals, respectively, in synchro at this olympics. Ipsen holds his own bronze medal from synchronized springboard last year, where he competed with Troy Dumais. All of these men will be seeking individual Olympic glory.

Earlier this year Ipsen came in third on three meter at the FINA diving World Cup, and then he won springboard at U.S. team trials by over 67 points. At the world cup, he finished less than two points behind Jamaican diver Yona Knight-Wisdom.

Knight-Wisdon trains in the U.K. with Laugher, but is qualified for the Olympics as the first male diver from Jamaica, or any Caribbean island. Back in 2014, he was Jamaica’s first commonwealth games diver, where he came in eleventh on three meter. If Knight-Wisdom medals, he will have won the only medal outside of track and field events with the exception of one cycling medal from 1980.

Other competitors in contention include Rommel Pacheco, who will be competing for Mexico and is coming off of a win at the FINA world cup. China’s He Chao is also expected to do very well alongside his teammate Cao.

The event will continue tomorrow with semifinals and finals.

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