Loukas Finishes Ninth in Three-Meter Diving at Olympic Games
8/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Aug. 17, 2008
Christina Loukas' Beijing Diary-UPDATED
BEIJING - Indiana University senior Christina Loukas capped her first Olympic experience with a ninth-place finish in the women's three-meter springboard Sunday night at the National Aquatic Center in Beijing, China.
Loukas finished one point behind teammate Nancilea Foster with a total of 315.70 points. China's Guo Jingjing scored 415.35 points to successfully defend her Olympic gold, with Athens bronze medalist Julia Pakhalina of Russia winning the silver with 398.60 points. Wu Minxia of China, who paired with Guo for a gold in 3-meter synchro last week, scored 389.85 points for bronze.
Loukas and Foster were in fifth and seventh place after three rounds but missed their fourth round dives to slip to ninth and 11th. Both rebounded and came up with their highest scoring dives of the night in the final round to finish strong. Foster earned 75 points on her reverse 2 ½ pike, with Loukas picking up 70.50 points on her front 2 ½ with one twist.
Loukas will now turn her focus to her final season of collegiate competition. She is a three-time Big Ten Diver of the Year and an eight-time NCAA All-American.
USA Diving contributed to this report.
Players Mentioned
