Olympic Diver Alison Gibson Reacts to Getting “Embarrassing” 0.0 Score

Alison Gibson is leaving the 2024 Olympics with her head held high.

The Team USA diver shocked crowds during the women’s 3-meter springboard competition in Paris on Aug. 7 when she slammed her feet on the springboard mid-flip during her first dive.

The mistake prompted a penalty for Alison, registering her performance as a non-dive and earning her a score of 0.0. The 25-year-old continued the competition with her four remaining dives, but ultimately finished 28th out of the 28 athletes. Still, she is not letting the loss taint her time at the Olympics.

“Our worth is not defined by one painful moment,” Alison wrote on Instagram Aug. 8. “I am who I am because of the journey it took to get here. And I will not let the shame and pain of this moment define me and my worth.”

She shared the messaged alongside a video of her mishap, adding, “In my 15 years diving, this has never happened to me. My feet were bleeding. My heels were painfully bruised from hitting the board.”

And while Alison knew that everyone expected her to quit the games after the penalty, she didn’t want to let that happen, saying that she wanted to persevere “through highs and lows.”

REUTERS/Maye-E Wong

“This was far from the outcome I wanted,” the Olympian continued, “but I fought with everything I had to represent my country as well as I could and I’m proud of that. To those on the outside this may look like an embarrassing failure. But to me this journey to the Olympics has been anything but a failure.”

And while she noted that “my heart and my body hurt,” Alison felt confident that “this competition does not and will not define me.”

The athlete also hopes that her determination to complete the competition can inspire others.

“I pray that my grit can inspire others to keep fighting even when they feel like all is lost,” Alison said. “Keep your chin up even when you fall short. Keep your chin up because you’re worth more than just one painful moment.”

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She added, “If you have a moment when you feel like all is lost don’t give up hope. You are beautifully and wonderfully made.”

And her positive attitude has never wavered. Immediately following the Olympic competition, Alison detailed her injury, saying that she has “cuts along the sides” of her limbs because she hit her heels and feet on the board.

“I bruised my right heel pretty good,” she explained, via NBC News, “but I was determined to keep going.”

For more of the most emotional moments during the 2024 Paris Olympics, keep reading.

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Aug. 8: Track & Field

Team USA’s Tara Davis-Woodhall embraces her husband and Paralympic athlete Hunter Woodhall after winning the women’s long jump final.

Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Aug. 8: Canoe Sprint

Joan Antoni Moreno and Diego Dominguez of Team Spain yell in celebration after the men’s canoe double 500m final.

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Aug. 7: Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay

Spain’s Maria Perez and Alvaro Martin pop champagne to celebrate their gold medals.

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Aug. 7: Cycling

Kelland O’Brien of Team Australia is emotional after his team, also including Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Oliver Bleddyn, won gold. The Austalian cyclists set a new world record with 3:40.730.

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Aug. 6: Track & Field

TEAM USA’s Gabby Thomas snaps a selfie with her partner Spencer McManes after winning gold in the women’s 200m final.

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Aug. 6: Running

Cole Hocker of Team USA celebrates after winning the gold for the men’s 1500m. Hocker won by .14 seconds.

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Aug. 5: Pole Vault

Swedish athlete Armand Duplantis celebrates after setting a new world record in the men’s pole vault.

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Aug. 5: Badminton

An Se-young of Korea celebrates after defeating He Bingjiao of China 2-0 in their match.

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Aug. 5: Surfing

Johanne Defay hugs Simon Paillard, her husband and coach, after winning bronze for France.

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Aug. 5: Gymnastics

Simone Biles hugs an emotional Jordan Chiles after winning bronze for the women’s floor routine final, marking Chiles’ first individual Olympic medal.

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Aug. 2: Gymnastics

Britain’s Bryony Page is ecsatic after winning gold for the women’s trampoline final in gymnastics.

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Aug. 2: Fencing

Team Czechia’s Michal Cupr, Jiri Beran, Jakub Jurka, Martin Rubes celebrate after defeating France for the men’s bronze medal.

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Aug. 1: Gymnastics

USA gymnast Simone Biles beams after winning gold in the women’s all-around final, sporting her “GOAT” necklace.

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Aug. 1: Tennis

Great Britain’s Andy Murray—who announced his retirement before the Paris Games—tearfully bids farewell to the crowd after being eliminated alongside Dan Evans in the men’s doubles.

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Aug. 1: Table Tennis

Tomokazu Harimoto of Team Japan lets off some steam during his match against China’s Fan Zhendong.

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Aug. 1: Swimming

Men’s 200m backstroke silver medalist Apostolos Christou of Greece gets emotional while standing on the podium.

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Aug. 1: Tennis

Spanish tennis Carlos Alcaraz lets out a victorious scream after defeating Tommy Paul of Team USA in men’s single.

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July 31: Diving

Great Britain’s bronze medalists Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson share a raw moment after the women’s synchronized 10m platform diving final.

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July 31: Soccer

Korbin Albert gets emotional after scoring a goal in the women’s soccer game.

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July 31: Swimming

Team Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestroem celebrates her gold medal in the Women’s 100m Freestyle Final.

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July 31: Swimming

Team USA’s Katie Ledecky reacts to winning gold in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final.

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July 31: Swimming

French swimmer Anastasiia Kirpichnikova cries tears of joy after seeing her silver medal-winning time in women’s 1500m freestyle event.

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July 31: Judo

Serbia’s Nemanja Majdov (L) and Greece’s Theodoros Tselidis (R) share a moment after their round in the men’s 90kg round of 16 in judo. Tselildis, who beat Majdov, later won the bronze medal.

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July 31: Sabre

Manon Apithy-Brunet (L) kisses her husband France’s Bolade Apithy after his team beat Egypt.

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July 31: Triathalon

Gold medalist Alex Yee of Team Great Britain and silver medalist Hayden Wilde of Team New Zealand share a subtle celebratory moment after crossing the finish line.

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July 31: Rugby

Team New Zealand leaps for joy after beating Canada in the Women’s Rugby Sevens Gold medal match.

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July 31: Field Hockey

Agustina Gorzelany of Team Argentina celebrates her team’s first goal in a match against Spain. Argentina ended up winning the match 2-1.

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July 31: Shooting

Team Guatemala’s Adriana Ruano Oliva gets emotional after realizing she’s won the gold medal—her country’s very first—in the shooting trap women’s final.

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July 30: Tennis

Andy Murray and Dan Evans of Great Britain embrace in celebration after besting Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen of Team Belgium in Men’s Doubles second round match.

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July 30: Swimming

Great Britain’s Tom Dean celebrates, along with fellow teammates, after his win in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics daily on NBC and Peacock until the summer games end with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.