Team USA’s Alison Gibson scored a disastrous 0.0 on Wednesday (August 7) at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. During the preliminary round of the women’s 3m springboard, her feet collided with the board on the first dive. Moments after the launch, Alison, who was in a tucked position coming out of a somersault at that point, hit the board with her feet. 

Upon landing in the water, her performance was registered as a non-dive, The New York Post reported on Thursday (August 8).

After receiving zero points, the 25-year-old kept going and finished her remaining four dives with as much composure as she could muster, but she still finished last, marking the end of her Olympic journey, NBC Olympics reported on Wednesday.

She told reporters at the end of the competition: “I hit my heels and my feet on the board.

Team USA’s Alison Gibson scored a disastrous 0.0 on Wednesday (August 7) at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Image credits: aagtexas

“I have cuts along the sides, and then I bruised my right heel pretty good, but I was determined to keep going.”

Alison reportedly said she “definitely was in pain,” but she kept going because she wanted to set an example to other young athletes who were watching.

“But one thing that I say is I hope that anyone who is watching just was able to see what it looks like to get up and keep going even when things don’t go the way you want them to,” the American diver admitted. “It’s about the fight.” 

She continued: “Obviously, today didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I think you can learn and grow from every experience, and I truly hope that the next generation of athletes recognize that even in the worst moments you can keep fighting, you can walk courageously.”

Image credits: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The athlete revealed that the mishap had been the “most painful” experience of her life, writing in her blog on Thursday: “I asked God why so many times. I was called back into diving a year ago. I won the nationals. I qualified for the Olympic quota spot at Worlds. I qualified for the Olympics. I made it this far. Just to have it end with a crushing heartbreak.”

Alison almost retired completely from diving after finishing last in the Tokyo Games three years ago in the synchronized springboard event, as per NBC Olympics. 

For the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Alison and diving partner Krysta Palmer qualified for the synchronized 3-meter springboard. It was the first Olympics for both of them, The Austin American Statesman reported on Tuesday (August 6).

In Tokyo, Alison and Krysta were tied for first place after the competition’s first two dives. But as Alison explained it, she got too excited before her third dive and missed it. 

During the preliminary round of the women’s 3m springboard, her feet collided with the board on the first dive

Image credits: CBC

She then made another mistake on the fourth attempt. She and Krysta finished with a good dive, but by then, it was too late. They finished eighth among the eight finalists, as per The Statesman.

Alison reportedly referred to Tokyo as “a gut-wrenching experience.” She wanted nothing to do with the feeling of failure on such a large stage again and eventually walked away from the sport.

After her retirement ended, Alison initially planned to do just synchronized dives with Krysta, but she eventually felt good enough to start training for individual competitions as well. 

This past June, the athlete finished second in the 3-meter springboard at the US Olympic Trials and edged Krysta toward an invitation to the Paris games, The Statesman reported.

Image credits: CBC

“I poured my heart and my soul into training,” the Olympian further wrote on Thursday. “I sacrificed so much. I’ve asked myself what I did to deserve this. I have walked diligently and faithfully every step of the way. It doesn’t feel fair.”

The Texan continued: “Over the past 24 hours, I’ve cried, and I have been angry. I’ve asked, ‘Why would a good God let me make it all the way to this stage just to allow me to get crushed in front of the world?’ This is hard, and my faith has been tested.”

Alison reflected on her heartbreaking loss, consoling herself with the work she has done sponsoring a school child in Kenya via Missions of Hope International, a non-profit organization.

“I have tried to get as many children in Kenya sponsored as I can,” she wrote. “And I have fought with my whole heart, and there is no shame in that.”

After the launch, Alison, who was in a tucked position coming out of a somersault, hit the board with her feet

Image credits: CBC

The athlete concluded: “And even though I haven’t gotten as many children sponsored as I want. 

“And even though my competition didn’t go the way I wanted. And even though I feel like the world is trying to tear me down piece by piece and leave me shattered, I will keep my chin up because I know that my value and worth come from God.”

In a lengthy Instagram post shared the same day, Alison said that in 15 years of diving, “this has never happened to [her].”

She detailed: “My feet were bleeding, my heels were painfully bruised from hitting the board, and everybody on the pool deck thought I was going to scratch. But I didn’t scratch.”

Image credits: CBC

In the context of diving, “scratch” means to withdraw from the competition or to forfeit a dive. 

“I kept my chin up, and I kept fighting until the end of that event,” Alison said in a voiceover. “This was far from the outcome I wanted, but I fought with everything I had to represent my country as well as I could, and I’m proud of that.”

The Austin native said that while it might seem like her dive was “an embarrassing failure” to those on the outside, she saw it as anything but, and she hoped that her perseverance would inspire others to keep going “even when you fall short.”

“Our worth is not defined by one painful moment,” Alison said in the caption of the post. “I am who I am because of the journey it took to get here. And I will not let the shame and pain of this moment define me and my worth.”

Upon landing in the water, her performance was registered as a non-dive

Image credits: aagtexas

Although The University of Texas at Austin (UT) graduate concluded the gutwrenching day with a score of 198.30 and did not advance to the semifinals, Alison made it clear that withdrawing was never an option.

At the Olympics, all dives are scored by a panel of judges, NBC’s Olympics website explains. The judges rate the execution (and synchronization for synchro events) of every dive on a scale of 1-10, including half-point margins.

Individual diving events are scored by a panel of seven judges. Once all seven judges submit their scores for a dive, the highest two scores and the lowest two scores are eliminated. 

The remaining three scores are added together to achieve the execution score, which is multiplied by the dive’s degree of difficulty to determine the total score of the dive.

@eurosportAlison Gibson suffered a scary moment during the women’s 3m springboard earlier today 😬 Thankfully she’s fine ❤️♬ original sound – Eurosport

Synchronized diving events are scored by a total of 11 judges, NBC’s Olympics website further states.

Three judges focus on scoring the execution of only one individual diver of the pair, while a separate trio of judges focuses on the other individual diver. The remaining five judges score the pair’s synchronization.

Of the 11 total judges’ scores, five are used: the median execution score for Diver 1, the median execution score for Diver 2, and the middle three synchronization scores. 

The five scores are then added together, multiplied by 0.6 (to more closely align with scores from the individual events), and then multiplied by the dive’s degree of difficulty to determine the total score of the dive.

The athlete revealed that the mishap had been the “most painful” experience of her life

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Gibson (@aagtexas)

Following her brief retirement from the sport between the Tokyo and the Paris Olympics, Alison earned an advertising degree from UT.

She eventually landed a job as an associate at Legend Labs. Alison described her place of employment as a boutique communications and consulting firm, The Statesman reported.

One of Alison’s recent tasks at work was helping with the launch of the X World Wallet name, image, and likeness deal for every athlete in Texas.

The athlete is currently enjoying the time she has left in the French capital city, seemingly spending her days sightseeing.

In her latest Instagram stories, Alison showcased her visit to The Louvre, taking snapshots of the Mona Lisa.

Paris is currently preparing for the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony. It will take place on Sunday (August 11) between 9 pm and 11:15 pm CET and is being held at the Stade de France.

“She is an amazing athlete,” a reader commented

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