Olympics, Day 10: Crazy Dives, and Not Just in the Pool

Day 10 at the Olympics was a wild one, with 46mph gusts of wind during the men’s 3m springboard preliminaries, Simone Biles faltering on the beam (but still earning bronze behind the USA’s silver medalist, Laurie Hernandez, who appealed her score to no avail), France’s Wilhem Belocian false-starting in his 110m hurdles heat, and the Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller diving across the finish line of the women’s 400m to defeat the USA’s Allyson Felix, who still became the most decorated American woman in Olympic track and field history.

Let’s start with Miller. First of all, some people, like Michael Johnson, think Miller had no choice.

Others, including Lolo Jones, support her even if she did.

Which side are you on? The move was legal, so why shouldn’t she have done all she could to secure a gold medal at the Olympics? Or is it not the way you should want to be remembered?

Would your answer change if it were an athlete from your country?

If that loss is painful to watch, here’s Belocian’s false start.

On to gymnastics, Biles recovered well from her misstep on the beam.

Hernandez, who would later try to appeal how the judges scored her start value, walked through the door Biles left open. The Netherlands’ Sanne Wevers earned gold, the first medal for her country in women’s gymnastics.

To the pool… The U.S.’s Kristian Ipsen and Michael Hixon had no problem advancing in the 3m springboard. Ipsen trains outside all the time, and both divers had gone to a training camp in Brazil, where they’d practiced in windy conditions. Reigning Olympic gold medalist Ilya Zakharov of Russia, on the other hand, was thrown off his game entirely after hitting his feet on the board during his first dive. He battled back into the last qualifying spot, 18th. The 2015 world champion, China’s He Chao, was rattled enough by the conditions that he’s out.

Here’s Malaysian diver Ahmad Amsyar Azman showing the nerves.

A few of the many other highlights from Day 10:

Kenya’s David Rudisha defended his 800m gold (while the U.S.’s Clayton Murphy earned bronze).

Bravo to Rudisha for this as well.

Brazil’s Thiago Braz da Silva won pole vault gold (the U.S.’s Sam Kendricks took silver).

Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk made us all care about the hammer throw.

We’re still not quite sure what steeplechase is, but we’re happy the U.S.’s Emma Coburn got the bronze.

Check out the nasty finish of the open water marathon…

And the best music in the synchronized-swimming duets…

And the best music in dressage…

Brazil’s Alison and Bruno knocked out the U.S.’s Dalhausser and Lucena in beach volleyball, but the U.S. women’s water polo team defeated Brazil to advance.