Team USA diver Alison Gibson in tears after humiliation and 0.0 score at Olympics

Alison Gibson was consoled as she exited the pool in tears after a poor performance

Alison Gibson, a diver from Team USA, was left distraught after scoring 0.0 in the 3-meter springboard at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Texan native's score came about during Wednesday's competition when her feet hit the board, resulting in an unfortunate entry into the water.

The 25-year-old was attempting an inward dive with 2.5 somersaults, and her disappointment was clear as she exited the pool. Gibson seemed to be in tears as she was consoled by what appeared to be a diving coach.

Her performance on the five saw her match Animal House's John Blutarsky's infamous grade-point average from the 1978 comedy. Despite this, the American did not suffer any injuries and completed four dives - finishing 27th out of 28.

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This was the first 0.0 score of the Paris Olympics, according to reports, but Gibson's subsequent scores were 49.50, 68.20, and 58.50. Australian Maddison Keeney was leading with a total score of 337.35, and she has been joined in the semifinals by Mexico's Aranza Vazquez Montano, China's Yani Chang, Great Britain's Grace Reid, and Japan's Haruka Enomoto.

Thankfully, winning gold wasn't Gibson's only goal for Paris. The diver had a broader mission to secure sponsorship for an entire Kenyan school before the end of the Olympic Games - and she managed to get NBA legend LeBron James onboard, reports the Express US.

When asked how James became involved in her mission, she explained: "He said, 'Okay, give me your phone, open your notes.. So I did give him my phone. I opened my notes and he typed in the name of the CMO of his foundation, and he said, 'Email her'."

"He said, 'I can't make any promises that will do anything'. But he said, 'Email her and we can see what we can do'."

Her motivation came from sponsoring a child, which made her want to do more to help, she explained. "So I sponsored a child and I was sitting there thinking and I'm like, 'Man, I want to do more with this, I want to do more with this. I want to help,'".

This desire to make a difference was on her mind even during her Olympic trials final. "And so I remember going into my Olympic trials final, and all I could think about was like, I was like, 'God, please help me make the Olympics so that I can launch this'."

Gibson is aware that she may not be remembered as an Olympian, but she wants to leave a lasting impact, "I recognize people are going to forget my name. They're not going to know I'm an Olympian,".

However, while she is in her current position she wants to use her platform to make a difference that will be felt for generations to come. She said: "So my purpose is, how can I do something right now using the platform I have right now that actually has an impact beyond my time here in Paris and hopefully across generations."

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