After suffering a devastating failure on her first dive of the Paris Olympics, American Alison Gibson is keeping her chin up even as she feels “the world is trying to tear me down.”
During the preliminary round of the women’s 3m springboard on Wednesday, Gibson was given a score of 0.0 on her first attempt after a painful mishap with the board, sending into the water feet-first.
After launching with her back to the pool, Gibson performed two front flips while in the tucked position with her legs straight out. However, she clearly didn’t get enough distance and her feet painfully collided with the end of the board.
On Thursday, she shared an emotional post on Substack, in which she called the fail “one of the most painful experiences of my life.”
“I asked God why so many times. I was called back into diving a year ago. I won nationals. I qualified the Olympic quota spot at Worlds. I qualified for the Olympics. I made it this far. Just to have it end with a crushing heartbreak. I poured my heart and my soul into training. I sacrificed so much. I’ve asked myself what I did to deserve this. I have walked diligently and faithfully every step of the way. It doesn’t feel fair,” Gibson wrote.
“Over the past 24 hours, I’ve cried, and I have been angry. I’ve asked, ‘why would a good God let me make it all the way to this stage just to allow me to get crushed in front of the world?’ This is hard, and my faith has been tested.”
Gibson sustained several injuries from the mishap, including cuts and bruises.
“I hit my heels and my feet on the board,” she said, according to Reuters. “I have cuts along the sides, and then I bruised my right heel pretty good, but I was determined to keep going.”
In an Instagram Story, Gibson also revealed that her left foot was in a walking boot.
In her Substack post, she said that by completing the event after the initial accident, she hoped to inspire others.
“Even though my competition didn’t go the way I wanted. And even though I feel like the world is trying to tear me down piece by piece and leave me shattered, I will keep my chin up because I know that my value and worth come from God,” she wrote.
“… I do not know God’s plan. I do not know why he would allow this, but I must continue persevering, and I hope that my willingness to persevere and fight on can inspire those around me.”
This was Gibson’s second Olympic Games after finishing eighth in the synchronized springboard event in Tokyo Games three years ago.
Whether she takes a run at making a splash in 2028 at the Los Angeles Games remains to be seen, but she is not letting this setback define her.
“Life is full of painful moments. Life is full of losses, but true character is shown through how you get back up. And I will get back up. If you are struggling with something right now in your life, take my hand, and together, we can fight,” she concluded her post.
“Together, we can persevere. Together, we can overcome our fears. Together, we can shine a light on our shameful moments and recognize that they don’t have power over us. Together, we can become stronger.”