Downs entered the night in fourth place, just 4.3 points behind second place and an Olympic bid. His list Sunday was highlighted by a clutch round 5 dive that produced a 92.75 and gave him the lead for good. The Ballwin, Missouri, native won the three-list competition with a cumulative score of 1333.75. His list scores improved from 423.05 (prelim) to 446.85 (semifinal) to 463.85 in the bright lights of Sunday’s final.
Purdue alumnus and hall of famer David Boudia took third with a three-list total of 1314.95, finishing just 4.45 points behind Andrew Capobianco in second place and an Olympic bid. Capobianco rallied from sixth place entering the day, riding Sunday’s best list score (493.90) to make up the 48.70-point deficit he faced on second place. Capobianco was also an Olympic qualifier in 3-meter synchro this year.
Purdue alumnus Brandon Loschiavo put together another strong showing on the tower to win the 10-meter diving competition at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time in his career.