Olivia Rosendahl (left) and Christo Law (right) won bronze in the mixed synchronized 10-meter final at the 2017 World University Games.
The fifth day of diving at the 2017 World University Games saw five American divers in action on Thursday in Taipei, highlighted by a bronze-medal performance by Christo Law (San Antonio, Texas/Ohio State University) and Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif./Northwestern University) in the mixed synchronized 10-meter final. Brooke Schultz (Fayetteville, Ark./University of Arkansas) and Alison Gibson (Austin, Texas/University of Texas) took fourth in the women’s synchronized 3-meter final, and Briadam Herrera (Miami, Fla./University of Miami) competed in the men’s 3-meter final, finishing ninth.
Law and Rosendahl’s list proved to be beneficial for the pair as they found positive progression in each round. They opened with their lowest-scoring dive, 43.80 on a forward 1½ somersault pike, and followed with a mark of 44.40 on a back dive pike in round two to move into fourth place. The scoring continued to move northward as the duo posted 54.60 in round three on a reverse 2½ somersault tuck to keep them in fourth. Law and Rosendahl’s consistency showed in round four with an inward 3½ somersault tuck worth 56.64, but they were still one spot shy of the podium. The drama poured into the last round as Germany controlled bronze, but only amassed 56.64 on its final dive. Law and Rosendahl’s execution of a back 2½ somersault 1½ twist pike earned 70.08 points to put them on the podium and give the U.S. its second diving medal of the 2017 World University Games. They finished with 269.52 points, trailing only Russia (304.80) and gold medalists’ North Korea (336.78).
Schultz and Gibson were the other American synchronized pair competing on Thursday, representing the red, white and blue in the women’s synchronized 3-meter final. They produced 49.20 on an inward dive pike for the highest-scoring dive of the opening round and followed with a reverse dive pike worth 45.00 that still left them in first after two rounds. Round three brought Schultz and Gibson down a few pegs in the standings after scoring 56.70 on a forward 2½ somersault 1 twist pike, leaving them in fourth overall after three dives. The twosome rebounded with a forward 3½ somersault pike that scored 64.17, their highest-scoring dive of the final, moving them into second. However, a back 2½ somersault pike in round five that only totaled 53.10 was not enough to keep the U.S. on the podium, finishing fourth overall with 268.17 points. The podium was occupied by Mexico (290.22), South Korea (280.89) and Russia (270.30).
Herrera was the lone solo diver on Thursday as he manufactured a ninth-place finish in the men’s 3-meter final with 444.40 points. He tallied five dives of 72.00 or more points, including a forward 2½ somersault 2 twist pike in round three that gave him his highest-scoring dive of the night. The only dive below 72.00 came in round four as he scored 66.30 on an inward 3½ somersault tuck. He closed out competition with back-to-back scores of 73.50, first coming on a reverse 3½ somersault tuck and then ending on a reverse 1½ somersault 3½ twist free. Russia’s Ilia Zakharov (533.00) and Evegnii Kuznetsov (500.75) went gold-silver with Italy’s Giovanni Tocci (489.40) taking bronze.
The next day of diving at the 2017 World University Games includes the women’s 3-meter preliminary and semifinal as well as the men’s synchronized 3-meter final. Michal Bower (Loveland, Colo./Indiana University), Schultz and Rosendahl will all be competing for the U.S. in the women’s 3-meter preliminary, which kicks off the day at 10:00 PM EST (8/24)/10:00 AM TTZ (8/25). The semifinal for the women’s 3-meter event is scheduled for 1:00 AM EST (8/25)/1:00 PM TTZ (8/25). The duo of Dash Enos (Studio City, Calif./University of Southern California) and Henry Fusaro (Scottsdale, Ariz./University of Southern California) will represent the Stars and Stripes in the men’s synchronized 3-meter final starting at 4:00 AM EST (8/25)/4:00 PM TTZ (8/25).
Click the event for live stream link: men’s synchronized 3-meter final.
Click here for full results.
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