The men’s 3m springboard competition will conclude on Aug. 16 with both the semifinals and finals, and if you’re looking to catch the action you’ve come to the right place! Team USA’s Michael Hixon and Kristian Ipsen are hoping to prevail and you can click here to watch it LIVE!
Kristian Ipsen came in 3rd in the men’s 3m springboard preliminary round on Aug. 15, with Michael Hixon coming in at 10th. Though Kristian pulled ahead in the preliminaries, Michael has already grabbed a silver medal in the men’s synchronized 3m springboard, so it is going to be a real toss up for who goes further. The semifinal competition will begin Aug. 16 at 9 AM EST / 6 AM PST and you can WATCH THE MEN’S 3m SPRINGBOARD DIVING SEMIFINAL HERE.
Michael and Kristian will be competing against China’s Cao Yuan, who earned bronze in the synchronized 3m event on Aug. 10, and took first place in the 3m springboard preliminary round with 498.70 points. But Mexico’s Rommel Pacheco was no slouch, finishing in second with 488.25 points, above Kristian’s 461.35 points. Those three were the only competitors to score more than 70 points on all six attempts.
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“I train outside at Stanford, so it’s pretty normal for it to get pretty windy and I definitely feel like it helped me today,” Kristian said. “It was tough. It definitely wasn’t easy. I was surprised at how strong the wind was blowing. It definitely made things exciting, but I think diving outside all the time ever since I was young definitely helped. I was honestly just focused on trying to stay consistent and not missing anything.”
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Michael totaled 421.60 points in the event, held back a bit by a poor entry on one of his dives. “The goal was to be top 18 to get in the semis,” the diver said. “The wind was crazy and was a huge factor. You really can’t prepare for this, unless you get 20 industrial fans. For us, it’s about mental toughness. Some of the divers who were doing easier lists were doing really well in this event because it was easier for them to complete their dives. When the reigning Olympic champion is 18th, you know the conditions are bad.” We hope the conditions aren’t bad for both Kristian and Michael tomorrow! Good luck Team USA!
HollywoodLifers, are you excited to see Michael and Kristian compete? Let us know below!
