Here are some interesting notes from the first two days of Olympic competition.
- After being shut out in the past two Olympic Games, the U.S. has now won two medals in the first two events, both in synchro.
- The U.S. medals are the first for an American team, male and female in synchro. The women's medal was the first since Laura Wilkinson won platform in 2000, and the first since Mark Lenzi won a bronze on springboard in 1996.
- Both synchro teams appeared on the Today Show following their performances. Kelci Bryant and Abby Johnston were asked if they would be back in 2016. Kelci said, "I retired last night."
- Wu Minxia now has five Olympic medals, three of them gold. She also has a three-peat, having won the same event - synchronized springboard, in three consecutive Games. She won springboard silver from 2004 and a springboard bronze in 2008. With a medal in the individual springboard, she will tie Guo Jingjing for the most medals won by a female diver at six.
- Emilie Heymans made history with her bronze medal. She is now the only female diver to win an Olympic medal in four consecutive Games. Along with this bronze, she won a silver in 10M synchro in 2000, a bronze in 10M synchro in 2004, and a silver on platform in 2008.
- The silver won by Garcia and Sanchez was the first synchronized diving medal won by the men for Mexico. It was also first medal for the men since a silver on springboard by Fernando Platas in 2000.
- Garcia and Sanchez performed the hardest dive ever executed in Olympic competition, doing an inward 4 1/2 somersaults in tuck with a degree of difficulty of 4.1. The Mexican team also had the highest total difficulty at 18.9, a whopping 1.0 point higher than Great Britain at 17.9.
- China has now won the last three Olympic gold medals in men's synchronized platform and women's synchronized springboard.
Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images
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