Delaney Schnell competes during the women's' 10-meter platform preliminaries at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Aug. 4, 2021 in Tokyo.
Swimmers will race for the fastest times. Water polo players will rack up goals. The 19th FINA World Championships, which began over the weekend in Budapest, Hungary, also feature two sports where the results come down to judging.
The U.S. is sending 16 divers to Hungary, while 13 swimmers will represent Team USA in artistic swimming.
The artistic diving competition began over the weekend and continues through Saturday with 10 medal events. In the Olympics, artistic swimming — formerly known as synchronized swimming — includes two medal events: women’s duet and team. In each, swimmers perform in both a technical and free routine, and the scores are added together to determine the final standings.
At the world championships, medals are awarded separately for the technical and free routines. The artistic swimming competition also includes events not on the Olympic program, including mixed duet, team combination and team highlight.
Diving, which begins Sunday, June 26 and runs through July 3, more closely resembles the Olympic program with men’s and women’s individual and synchronized events in both 3- and 10-meter. The competition also includes individual 1-meter events for men and women, as well as a mixed team event and two mixed synchronized events.
Here are six storylines to watch for in Budapest.
Silver Medalist Schnell Among U.S. Olympians In Diving
Delaney Schnell, who won an Olympic silver medal last year in Tokyo and is coached by former national teamer Dwight Dumais, is among three Olympians competing for the U.S. in diving in Budapest.
Schnell’s medal came in the women’s 10-meter synchro with Jessica Parratto. This time Schnell, a native of Tucson, Arizona, is slated for both women’s synchronized events. She’ll be partnered with Tarrin Gilliland in the 10-meter event and with fellow Olympian Hailey Hernandez in the 3-meter.
Hernandez is also slated for the individual 3-meter, where she’ll compete alongside with Sarah Bacon, a bronze medalist from the 2019 world championships.
Tyler Downs is the third returning Olympian. He’ll compete in the men’s 3-meter as well as the 3-meter synchronized event with Greg Duncan.
Hayden Carves History As Black U.S. Diver
Kristen Hayden, a graduate student at Indiana University, will make history at the world championships. She is the first Black diver on a U.S. world championships team.
Hayden will compete with Johansen Diving Academy teammate Quinn Henninger in the mixed 3-meter synchronized competition. Hayden became the first Black woman to win a national championship in diving when she teamed up with Henninger for the first time and they won the 3-meter synchro event at the USA Diving Winter Nationals last December.
“I think the whole diving community is headed in the right direction and I just want to be a good example for young Black Americans or any minority really for diving in the U.S.,” Hayden, a New Jersey native, told the Associated Press earlier this year.
The mixed 3-meter synchronized event is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29.
