Courtesy: USA Diving
BOLZANO, Italy – Briadam Herrera (Miami, Fla.) collected Team USA’s second medal of the Bolzano FINA Grand Prix after scoring 392.35 points to earn him the bronze medal in the men’s 3-meter final. Team USA also picked up three spots to compete in Sunday’s finals after Alison Gibson (Austin, Texas) and Brooke Schultz (Fayetteville, Ark.) placed in the top two of their semifinals groups in the women’s 3-meter. Jacob Cornish (Honolulu, Hawaii/Austin, Texas) will represent Team USA in the men’s 10-meter platform finals.
Herrera’s performance Saturday began with the diver at fifth place following a back 2 ½ pike for 67.50 points. He then climbed up to third place in the next round after a front 2 ½ somersaults with 2 twists scored Herrera 79.90 points. Herrera then followed up with a strong inward 3 ½ tuck for 82.25 points, his highest score of the day, which moved him up to second place. A missed reverse 3 ½ tuck in the fourth round caused Herrera to slip to third, where he held the spot for the rest of competition. Liu Chengming of China earned gold with 456.05 points, while Great Britain’s Ross Haslam led Herrera at second by 35 points.
Gibson, who placed second in semifinal A and fourth overall, scored 269.60 points Saturday, while China’s Huang Xiahui landed first with 338.25 points. Gibson began competition 1.5 points behind Xiahui, after a front 2 ½ somersaults with 1 twist brought Gibson 60.00 points. Despite missing her second dive, Gibson produced her most successful dive in the third round when an inward 2 ½ pike scored the diver 66.00 points. Ashley McCool of Canada placed third, 27.75 points behind Gibson.
Semifinal B of the women’s 3-meter also saw success for Team USA, as Schultz placed second with 295.90 points and third overall amongst the two groups. China’s Chen Yiwen led Schultz by 51.35 points. Schultz began competition at fourth after a front 2 ½ somersault with 1 twist brought the diver 58.50 points, just .30 points shy of Norway’s Anne Vilde Tuxen. Schultz was able to climb up to third place in the following round, and then moved up to second in the fourth round after she scored 63.00 points on a back 2 ½ pike. Great Britain’s Alicia Blagg finished 28.15 points behind Schultz at third.
Cornish finished first in semifinal A and fourth overall with 381.40 points after beginning competition at fourth place and moving up to third in the second round. His reverse 3 ½ pike in the third round scored 60.80 points and allowed Cornish to climb up to second, where he held the spot behind Germany’s Timo Barthel until the final round. Cornish’s last two dives, an inward 3 ½ tuck and a back 1 ½ somersaults with 3 ½ twists, brought Cornish 71.40 and 70.95 points, putting him 20.90 points behind Barthel. Barthel missed his final dive, allowing Cornish to jump up to first. Zachary Cooper (Greenwood, Ind./Miami, Fla.), who struggled to find consistency, finished semifinal A in fifth place and eleventh overall with 308.45 points.
The Bolzano FINA Grand Prix continues Sunday with Cornish competing in the men’s 10-meter platform finals and Gibson and Brooke Schultz competing in the women’s 3-meter finals. Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif./Evanston, Ill.) and Katrina Young (Shoreline, Wash./Tallahassee, Fla.) will compete in the women’s 10-meter synchro finals, while Grayson Campbell (Vienna, Va./Austin, Texas) and Greg Duncan (Oakton, Va.) will dive in the men’s 3-meter synchro final. The final day of the Bolzano FINA Grand Prix can be watched live on FINA TV.