Alison Gibson leaves the Olympics in Paris with her head held high: «I will not let this moment define my worth»
10 august 2024 в 01:28
American diver from the USA team Alison Gibson leaves the Olympic Games in Paris with her head held high.
Gibson shocked spectators at the women’s three-meter springboard competition on Wednesday, August 7, when her first dive in the preliminary round did not go as planned, causing her to hit the board with her feet during a somersault.
The mistake resulted in a penalty for the 25-year-old athlete, as well as audible gasps from the audience who registered her performance as a failed dive, giving her a score of 0.0. Despite the major error, she continued and completed her remaining four dives, ultimately finishing in 28th place out of 28 athletes.
«Our value is not determined by one painful moment», - Gibson wrote in her Instagram post on August 8. «I am who I am because of the journey I took to get here. And I will not let the shame and pain of this moment define me and my worth».
Gibson continued, saying that while her dive may seem like a «shameful failure» to those on the outside, she saw it differently and hoped that her perseverance would inspire others to keep going «even when you fall short».
«It was far from what I wanted, but I fought with everything I had to represent my country as best as I could, and I am proud of that».
She shared the message along with a video of her mishap, adding: «In my 15 years of diving, this has never happened to me», - and besides the disappointing score, the incident was also physically tough.
«My legs were bleeding, my heels were severely bruised from hitting the board, and everyone at the pool thought I was going to withdraw. But I didn’t. I held my head high and fought until the end of this event», - she said in a voice comment.
Gibson detailed her injury to NBC News, saying she has «cuts on the sides» of her limbs from hitting the board with her heels and feet. «I really bruised my right heel, but I was determined to continue», - she explained.
While she noted that her «heart and body were hurting», - Gibson reiterated her powerful message: «If you have a moment where it feels like all is lost, do not lose hope. You are wonderfully and beautifully made».
Gibson made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, finishing last in the competition. After a brief hiatus of two years, telling the Austin American-Statesman that Tokyo was a «heartbreaking experience», - she eventually came out of retirement in the summer of 2023 to try again in Paris.
The athlete beautifully demonstrated that when incidents that seem like failures occur, nothing is truly a failure when you are striving for something
Gibson shocked spectators at the women’s three-meter springboard competition on Wednesday, August 7, when her first dive in the preliminary round did not go as planned, causing her to hit the board with her feet during a somersault.
The mistake resulted in a penalty for the 25-year-old athlete, as well as audible gasps from the audience who registered her performance as a failed dive, giving her a score of 0.0. Despite the major error, she continued and completed her remaining four dives, ultimately finishing in 28th place out of 28 athletes.
«Our value is not determined by one painful moment», - Gibson wrote in her Instagram post on August 8. «I am who I am because of the journey I took to get here. And I will not let the shame and pain of this moment define me and my worth».
Gibson continued, saying that while her dive may seem like a «shameful failure» to those on the outside, she saw it differently and hoped that her perseverance would inspire others to keep going «even when you fall short».
«It was far from what I wanted, but I fought with everything I had to represent my country as best as I could, and I am proud of that».
She shared the message along with a video of her mishap, adding: «In my 15 years of diving, this has never happened to me», - and besides the disappointing score, the incident was also physically tough.
«My legs were bleeding, my heels were severely bruised from hitting the board, and everyone at the pool thought I was going to withdraw. But I didn’t. I held my head high and fought until the end of this event», - she said in a voice comment.
Gibson detailed her injury to NBC News, saying she has «cuts on the sides» of her limbs from hitting the board with her heels and feet. «I really bruised my right heel, but I was determined to continue», - she explained.
While she noted that her «heart and body were hurting», - Gibson reiterated her powerful message: «If you have a moment where it feels like all is lost, do not lose hope. You are wonderfully and beautifully made».
Gibson made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, finishing last in the competition. After a brief hiatus of two years, telling the Austin American-Statesman that Tokyo was a «heartbreaking experience», - she eventually came out of retirement in the summer of 2023 to try again in Paris.
The athlete beautifully demonstrated that when incidents that seem like failures occur, nothing is truly a failure when you are striving for something
© Puhova Marina
