Brandon Loschiavo And Jordan Windle Make Olympic Debuts As Diving Competition Comes To A Close
by Karen Price
Brandon Loschiavo competes in the Men's 10m Platform Final at The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on August 07, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Brandon Loschiavo was once a gymnast.
Jordan Windle was once in a Cambodian orphanage.
Now, both are Olympic divers who competed for the U.S. in the 10-meter platform final on Saturday. Windle finished ninth and Loschiavo 11th to close out the competition for Team USA, which won silver medals in the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform and men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard as well as bronze in the women’s 3-meter springboard. Krysta Palmer’s bronze was the first medal in women’s individual springboard for the U.S. since 1988 and the first women’s individual medal in diving since 2000.
Once again, China was the team to beat, with Yuan Cao winning gold and Jian Yang silver. China won gold in seven of eight diving events and 12 total medals to tie the U.S. with the record for most in the sport at a single Games (the U.S. won 12 in 1932). Tom Daley of Great Britain won bronze.
Both Loschiavo, 24, and Windle, 22, made their Olympic debuts this year, and Windle became the first-ever U.S. diver to come from Cambodia. Windle had a tough time with his third dive, an armstand forward triple somersault, and that dropped him to 11th in the standings, but he followed that up with 88.80 points on his most difficult dive, a forward 4 1/2 somersaults, to move up to eighth in the rankings. Loschiavo hit his best dive of the final last, also a forward 4 1/2 somersaults that scored 72.15 points.
Loschiavo, from Huntington Beach, California, won the 2021 NCAA title before qualifying for this year’s Olympic team. He was injured in 2016 and did not get to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Windle actually competed at the Olympic Trials for the first time at the age of 13 in 2012, finishing sixth with Zach Cooper in synchronized platform. He was fourth on platform at the 2016 Trials.
Want to follow Team USA athletes during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020? Visit TeamUSA.org/Tokyo2020 to view the medal table, results and competition schedule.