Team USA Clinches Historic First Medal at Paris Games

While most of America slept, Team USA clinched its first medal at the Paris Summer Olympics.

WASHINGTON — Team USA swiftly made its mark on the 2024 Paris Olympics by securing a medal early in the competition.

American divers Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook captured silver in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard diving final on Saturday.

Bacon and Cook amassed 314.64 points from five dives. China’s Yani Chang and Yiwen Chen claimed gold with a commanding score of 337.68 points.

Great Britain’s Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen earned the bronze, finishing with 302.28 points.

Since being added in 2000, the event has seen Chinese women dominate, winning gold six times in seven Games. The exception was Russia’s victory in 2000. China earned gold in Tokyo three years ago with divers Shi Tingmao and Wang Han.

The dive that earned Bacon and Cook their silver medals at the #ParisOlympics can be seen here: pic.twitter.com/wmLmT2fX9d

Sarah Bacon, originally from Indianapolis, is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. She is highly decorated, with ten All-American titles and five NCAA championships across the 1-meter and 3-meter events. This marks her first Olympic appearance after narrowly missing the 2020 team.

Kassidy Cook, hailing from The Woodlands, Texas, last competed in the Olympics eight years ago.

This silver medal is a first for both Cook and Bacon, as well as the first American medal in this event since 2012.

For China, this gold marks the nation’s second of the Paris Games, having already secured gold in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event on Saturday morning.

China has dominated the diving scene for decades, securing seven out of eight gold medals in Tokyo. Achieving a full sweep of gold medals remains their goal for these Games.

Arizonanews.org’s Jeremiah Jacobsen and The Associated Press contributed to this report.