Carson Tyler’s rare double pack
American divers Pat McCormick and Greg Louganis were legendary for winning gold medals in both the 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform at a single Olympics – twice in a row: McCormick in 1952 and 1956, Louganis in 1984 and 1988. But the last American to attempt the double at the same Olympics was Mark Ruiz in Sydney in 2000. Until Carson Tyler made his Olympic debut here in Paris.
The 20-year-old rising senior from Indiana University in Bloomington has already finished fourth in the men’s 3m final in Paris.
“I feel good,” he said on Thursday after the 3-meter final. “I didn’t really know what to expect.”
Tyler said the Paris Olympics program has felt a little easier on his body so far than the U.S. Olympic trials format. “Going from the springboard to the platform is less stressful than going from the platform to the springboard,” he said, especially on his legs and lower body.
Image source: Carson Tyler competes in the men’s 3-meter finals during the U.S. Olympic diving qualifications. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
In the men’s 10-meter event, Tyler’s list of jumps will be of an even higher level of difficulty, which could give him a similar chance of winning a medal.
Or as his coach Drew Johansen put it: “His (10 million) DD is comparable to the rest of the world, so if he can put up a similar performance, who knows what could happen?”
Interestingly, the Olympic double was not his coach’s idea. Quite the opposite.
“You know? He influenced me in that respect,” Johansen said. “I was a little hesitant. I thought both of his events might suffer – especially in the Olympic qualifying competitions, because the trials are set up so that each event is every other day … but he was determined to do both once we (the U.S.) didn’t get our (Olympic) synchronized spot in the men’s tower. That was his other specialty.”
When they agreed to move on, coach Johansen said: “We had to be strategic about the difficulty level – especially with his springboard list because it can really take a toll on the body. If you noticed the other guys on (3m in Paris), they were all taped up. We used a slightly easier list, but enough to be competitive and that helped him save his body.”
To achieve the double victory, Tyler also had to train in the pool for about four hours on most days. Tyler’s advice to anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps is: “Be prepared to train a lot. It will be hard – just adapt to it.”
But Tyler was already familiar with participating in multiple events. During the US college season, he competed in three events: the non-Olympic 1-meter, 3-meter and 10-meter dash. In 2024, he not only won the Big 10 Conference titles on 3-meter and 10-meter dash, but also the same titles at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) championships (and took third place on 1-meter dash).
“That’s what really prepares you,” Johansen said, “to get through that tough college season. Many athletes decide to specialize after that college hurdle, for example: I’m going to be a synchronized diver and an individual diver.”
But not Tyler. Not yet.
For one thing, said Johansen in Paris, “we’ve been here competing for 10 or 12 days now. So it’s a longer program (with fewer competitions than most college and international competitions), so you have more time to recover.”
In addition, it will probably be difficult for Tyller to decide on an event.
“I like practicing diving boards,” he said, “but I like platform jumps even more.”
When asked if he would achieve the Olympic double again, Tyler said: “There’s a chance! Possibly!”
“I hope he stays in all of them,” his coach said now. “I want him to be in as many competitions as we can, because you see what a top performer she is. In the end, that’s what counts: performance.”
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