Olympic Diver Alison Gibson Has a Message for Critics After Board Mishap

Alison Gibson has a medal-worthy reflection of her 2024 Olympics experience.

While competing in the women’s 3-meter springboard competition in Paris, the Team USA diver slammed her feet on the springboard on her first dive of the preliminary round, resulting in a 0.0 score. But despite the heartbreaking experience, she continued the competition with grace and made it her mission to make the experience bigger than herself.

“Not everyone can relate to getting a gold medal,” Alison told E! News in an exclusive interview, “but everybody can relate to what it feels like to be crushed and what it means to keep fighting and keep getting back up.”

And while she’s seen an outpouring of support, she has encountered a few critics. As for what she would tell them? “’I don't care what you say,’” she expressed. “’You don't know me.’”

“It doesn't affect me, because I know my value and I know my worth,” she continued, “and I know that the people who really love me and the people who really matter are going to be there, and that that's what I care about.”

The 25-year-old turned her mishap into a catalyst for change through her commitment to joining forces with other athletes, including Jamaican diver Yonah Knight-Wisdom and swimming legend Rowdy Gaines, to support water safety initiatives as well as her mission to sponsor children in Haiti through Missions of Hope International.

“I think I've gotten about 30 kids sponsored,” she said, “which is incredible given that going into the Olympics, there weren't any kids sponsored.”

But while she’s been focusing on the positive after her Paris mishap, the hit to the board left her with painful bruises and cuts on her heels and feet. And the healing process came with some difficult reminders.

“It’s frustrating. Every time I get out of bed, I’m reminded of what happened when I put my feet on the ground, and the pain shoots through the bottom of my foot,” she explained to E!. “And I think that that's difficult, but it's part of the healing process, and it takes time to heal.”

Thankfully, Alison has been able to lean on her friends and family for support. And she even heard from a surprising celeb after meeting him randomly in an airport.

“Chris Harrison,” she told E!, revealing that she recorded an episode of The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with the The Bachelor alum, “obviously had a moment where he got canceled by the world, and he's like, ‘I've been there before,’ so I'm really excited for that episode to drop.”

And if there’s one thing she wants people to take away from her experience, it’s the idea of redefining gold and not finding success in a gold medal, but in using the journey to make a difference in the world.

“I think it's even more important for athletes to have a mission outside of just their sport,” she said, “because then when things don't go well, they have something to lean on.”

When the opposite happens, then “they can bring more support” to the organizations that matter to them most.

Keep reading to revisit some of the most emotional moments during the Paris Olympics.