SAINT-DENIS, France — Former Purdue divers Greg Duncan and Tyler Downs, after dramatically earning a spot in the Olympic Games, could not carry that momentum to Paris.
They finished eighth in 3-meter synchronized springboard Friday at the Paris Olympics.
They were in third place through two dives. Then in their first high-difficulty dive, a forward 2 ½ somersault with two twists, they missed it and dropped to eighth. They stayed there.
Wang Zongyuan and Long Daoyi gave China a fifth gold medal in seven Olympics in this event, albeit by just two points, with a score of 446.10.
Mexico’s Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera, after finishing fourth three years ago, won the silver with 444.02.
Great Britain’s Jack Laugher and Anthony Harding took bronze with 438.15. Laugher won gold in this event at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The Boilermakers’ score was 346.08, or 92 points off the podium. In the Olympic Trials at Knoxville, Tenn., they won by 2.37 points over a team featuring Indiana University's Andrew Capobianco, who won synchro silver at Tokyo 2021.
Duncan, 25, of Oakton, Va., and Downs, 20, a West Lafayette resident, were fourth at the 2023 World Championships – less than four points from a bronze medal.
Contact WTHR correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
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