Bacon and Cook Win First U.S. Diving Medals

Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon secured America’s first medal of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, winning silver in the women’s 3-meter synchronized springboard event on Saturday. Their five-dive score of 314.64 placed them between the gold medalists, China’s Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen (337.68), and the bronze-winning British duo, Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen (302.28).

The pair, known as Cook N’ Bacon, credited their long-standing friendship and partnership since 2019 for their success. “I’m ecstatic. To perform and end up on the medal stand with one of my best friends feels amazing,” Cook said. The reigning world champions, Chang and Chen, led the competition from start to finish, challenging Bacon and Cook to elevate their performance.

“Seeing China hit their dives made us eager to hit ours,” Cook added. “They made us better, and I’m really happy to take away that silver.” Cook, 29, who lives near Houston and competed in Rio 2016, became the first U.S. diver to compete in nonconsecutive games. “Finding out we are the first medal for Team USA is an even more awesome feeling,” she said.

China has dominated this event, winning six of the seven times it has been held in Olympic history. Bacon, who narrowly missed making the U.S. team for Tokyo, saw that setback as a blessing. “Not making the Olympic team kept me around diving and brought me to this Olympic Games with Kassidy,” said Bacon, 27, from Indianapolis. “To be on the award stand with the silver medal is just unbelievable.”

The competition unfolded to loud cheers, especially for the Chinese, Americans, hometown French, and Ukrainians. Cook reflected, “Those games in Tokyo, although they were still the Olympic Games, were not the true experience. I’m really glad we held on and made it here.”

Cook will now support her teammates, while Bacon prepares for the individual 3-meter springboard event starting Aug. 7. Both divers are contemplating where to display their medals. “I want to put it on display, maybe make a trophy room centered around the silver medal,” Cook said. Bacon plans to find a special spot at home, “Maybe on a frame on a wall somewhere? It’ll be the centerpiece of something.”

Re-reported from the article originally published in NBC NEWS.