An Olympic diver has spoken out after suffering a devastating loss at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Alison Gibson, from Texas, was heading into the women's 3m springboard preliminary event with a positive mindset, but her dreams were quickly slashed when she failed to complete her move during her first dive.
The 25-year-old could be seen taking some deep breaths before she launched herself off the springboard but unfortunately, her feet got caught on the edge of the board, sending a loud echo pulsing through the arena.
Gibson fell into the water with her face down as the audience gasped.
Her coach immediately ran to her side to make sure that she was okay, because the risk with these types of accidents is that if your feet hit the board near your heels, you could lose the ability to walk or swim.
Thankfully Gibson seemed to be okay as she swam to the side and sought comfort in her team.
The judges scored the diver a 0.0 for the move, and although Gibson went on to conclude the day with a score of 198.30, she did not advance to the semifinals.
Despite this, withdrawing was never an option for her.
After the end of the event, the athlete spoke about her performance, stating that despite her being in immense pain, she persevered to complete the rest of her dives.
"I hit my heels and my feet on the board," Gibson told reporters at the end of the competition. "I have cuts along the sides, and then I bruised my right heel pretty good, but I was determined to keep going."
Gibson added that she "definitely was in pain," but she kept going because she wanted to set an example to other young athletes who were watching and hoping to compete one day.
"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. It's about the fight," she explained.
"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 recognizes that even in the worst moments you can keep fighting, you can walk courageously," she added.
Wise words from a fighter.
We hope that Gibson is recovering from her injury and remains in good spirits despite the outcome of the event.
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