After Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook completed their final dive Monday at the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, the weight of their accomplishment struck them. The two embraced, with tears of joy streaming down their faces.
They are headed to the Paris Olympics.
“It was that moment when all of your hard work came to fruition,” Cook said. “Sometimes that doesn’t always happen, and you don’t always get the result you want, which has happened to us before. But once we landed in the water, we knew we were Olympians going to Paris.”
The pair looked inseparable all evening at the Allen Jones Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Tennessee and never lost the lead. They finished with a score of 629.82 to win the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard, more than 30 points ahead of second-place finishers Alison Gibson and Krysta Palmer.
Just three years ago, Bacon was one place short of claiming a spot for the 2020 Olympics. Bacon was confident she’d make that team, so much so that she planned on retiring after the games in Tokyo.
But when she didn’t secure a spot, Bacon’s determination never ceased. She couldn’t fathom ending her diving career without the title of an Olympian.
“The last Olympics was kind of bittersweet,” Bacon said. “It was over COVID, and I would say I was one of the favorites to make that team. But honestly, it kept me diving. I wanted to make an Olympic team before it was all over.”
Cook will arrive in Paris next month with Olympic experience. She competed in the 2016 Rio Games and placed 13th in the 3-meter springboard. She was also a member of the 2016 and 2020 World Cup teams.
“It’ll be my first time going back (to the Olympics) in eight years. It’s going to be an awesome experience, and I’m excited to share it with her,” said Cook, grinning from ear to ear at Bacon.
For Bacon, this achievement came with its share of obstacles. Throughout high school, Bacon had several stress fractures in her back. She even won the Wendy Wyland Award in 2019 for overcoming setbacks.
She participated in four World Championships and won silver in 2019 and 2022 in the 1-meter springboard. She’s one of the most decorated collegiate divers, winning four NCAA championships at Minnesota and winning the 2021 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.
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Though the two dynamic divers share storied careers in their own right, they hope to add an Olympic medal to their already decorated lists of accolades.
“We’ve been working so hard for so long,” Cook said. “To finally say we made the Olympics together just feels … honestly, it doesn’t feel real yet. I’m over the moon.”
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Sarah Bacon, Kassidy Cook win synchronized 3-meter at Olympic Diving Trials
