Former Gophers diver Sarah Bacon earned her first Olympics berth, qualifying in the 3-meter synchronized springboard event with partner Kassidy Cook by winning at the United States diving trials in Knoxville, Tenn., on Monday night.
They outpaced 2021 Olympians Alison Gibson and Krysta Palmer 629.82-599.49 over 10 dives to make the U.S. team for the Paris Games this summer. Bacon, 27, and Cook, 29, train with Gophers diving coach Wenbo Chen. They finished fourth at the 2023 world championships.
Bacon, a native of Indianapolis, had gotten close to an Olympics berth three years ago at the trials for the Tokyo Games. She and Cook finished second to Gibson and Palmer, missing out on the only American spot. Then Bacon finished third in the individual 3-meter springboard event, when the top two qualified for the games.
”It just lit a fire underneath me,” she told reporters in Knoxville. “Honestly, I was planning on retiring after that Olympics, so it kept me diving. I wanted to make an Olympic team.”
Bacon is also competing in the individual women’s 3-meter event at trials. The semifinals are Thursday with the final on Saturday night. The top two finishers qualify for Paris.
From 2018 to 2022, Bacon won five NCAA championships at the U, tied for the most by an individual athlete for the Gophers. She was named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year in 2021.
