Diver Krysta Palmer Gets Olympic Bronze in 3m Springboard, First U.S. Woman to Do So in 33 Years

Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images Krysta Palmer

Krysta Palmer just ended a three-decade drought in diving for the United States.

The 29-year-old American diver won the bronze medal in the women's 3m springboard at the Tokyo Summer Olympics on Sunday, finishing with a score of 343.75. First place went to China's Tingmao Shi, while Shi's teammate Han Wang won silver.

Fellow Team USA member Hailey Hernandez finished the event in ninth place.

With her medal, Palmer becomes the first American woman to place in the event since Kelly McCormick did so in 1988.

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Al Bello/Getty Images Krysta Palmer

Speaking to reporters during a press conference after her victory, Palmer discussed having to adapt her training amid the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States last year — when the Games were delayed until this summer.

"Our pool was shut down, during that time I had a friend who had a barbell and some weights," Palmer said. "We lifted weights in her neighborhood during the time we couldn't be in the pool … my coach was there every step of the way through the shutdowns, and I'm very grateful for her to continue pushing us during that time."

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Palmer also spoke about competing in the synchronized diving event ahead of her individual competition, and how that intro to the pool in Tokyo helped ease her into Sunday's final.

"Competing on this stage has been a lot of pressure for me, but I think competing in synchronized really helped calm my nerves," she explained.

To learn more about Team USA, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.