Dorman Earns Silver Medal for Team USA in 3M Synchro

RIO DE JANEIRO — University of Miami alumnus and United States Olympian Sam Dorman teamed up with Michael Hixon to win a silver medal in the synchronized 3-meter springboard event at the 2016 Olympic Games Wednesday.

Competing in their first Olympics, Dorman and Hixon delivered a second-place score of 450.21 to pick up USA’s second diving medal of the 2016 Rio Games.

Dorman became the first Hurricane to medal in the Olympics since Lauryn Williams, who won silver in the 2014 Sochi Games (bobsled) and won gold in the 2012 London Games (4 x 100 meter relay).

Inclement weather at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, where competition is held outside, would not deter the American duo Wednesday.

“(1992 Olympic silver medalist) Scott Donie told us a great thing. He told us to pray for rain, and today we got that. We had bad weather conditions, and both us were very excited the weather was bad. I train in Miami. I’m used to diving in bad weather. Having this was definitely a benefit for us,” Dorman said.

Dorman and Hixon’s final dive – a forward 4.5-somersault which carried a 3.8 degree of difficulty – earned them a score of 98.04 to vault them to their final position.

Dorman had an idea after their last dive when he saw the reaction from his University of Miami coach, Randy Ableman.

“I looked at my coach and he threw up the U, so of course I had to throw it back,” he said. “I was very excited to look at him and see him so happy. He didn’t get to compete in his Olympics in 1980, so to have him here and to experience this with him was a very touching moment for me. He was a heck of a diver.”

Great Britain won gold with a score of 454.32, while China earned a bronze medal with 443.70

Heather Arseth, competing for Mauritius Wednesday in the 100-meter freestyle, finished her heat in sixth place with a time of 58.89 seconds. Arseth was competing in her second Olympics for Mauritius.