By Michael Houston |
USA Diving has confirmed that its Olympic trials for the Tokyo 2020 Games will now take place in 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally scheduled to take place from June 14 to 21 this year, the trials have now been moved to between June 6 and 13 next year, with the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis provisionally due to host.
The event will determine the United States team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were also moved back to 2021 due to the virus.
It is scheduled to be the seventh Olympic trials held at the Indianapolis venue which previously played host in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2016.
Those expected to attend the men’s trials include Rio 2016 silver medallist Michael Hixon, four-time Olympic medallist David Boudia and 20-year-old Andrew Copabianco, who is from Indiana.
World Cup team member Kassidy Cook is likely to compete on the women’s side, alongside Sarah Beacon who last year was the first US woman since 2005 to win an individual world medal.
Two-time World Championship team qualifier Brooke Shultz and Rio Olympians Jessica Parratto, Katrina Young and Amy Cozad Magaña will also compete.
The US won three medals at the Rio 2016 Games in diving – all from the men’s side.
Boudia took individual bronze in the 10 metre platform and partnered with team-mate Steele Johnson to win silver in the 10m sychronised platform.
Hixon and Sam Dorman won silver in the 3m synchronised platform.
The US currently holds qualification quotas in the women’s 10m synchronised, as well as two entries in the men’s 3m, men’s platform and women’s platform events.
In February, the US will look to add more quotas for their team at an Olympic qualification event in Tokyo.
Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz.