U.S. diver Brandon Loschiavo added to Paris Olympics roster at last minute: "Here's to the ones who dream"
Team USA has picked up a last-minute Olympian searching for a medal in Paris.
Ahead of the Summer Games, the U.S. diving team was guaranteed only one men's spot on the 10-meter platform. That spot went to Carson Tyler after his victory in last month's trials in Knoxville, Tennessee.
A maximum of 136 divers may compete in the diving events in Paris. Countries earned spots with top-12 finishes at the World Aquatics Championships in 2023 and 2024.
However, USA Diving was notified by World Aquatics on Thursday evening – about 24 hours before the official start of the Games – that another berth had opened up after another athlete pulled out.
The new spot went to Brandon Loschiavo, a California native who competed at the Toyko Games three years ago but appeared to miss out on his second Olympics after he finished second at the trials.
The 27-year-old said in a social media post on Friday that he was "proud and honored to Represent Team USA one more time" at the Olympics. He also offered some thoughts about making it to Paris after falling shy of a berth initially.
"For the people who achieve it or not, the path of putting it all on the line is the true reward," he wrote. "The truth is… it's not the pursuit of happiness it's the happiness pursuit. Goals, medals, teams come and go, but the pursuit of greatness will be with you forever. Having the privilege to go out and fight for something you love is the true gold."
He added: "Here's to the ones who dream."
The men's 10-meter competition is set for Aug. 9-10, the final diving event of the Games. Loschiavo, who trains at Purdue University in Indiana, finished 11th on the platform at Tokyo.