FEDERAL WAY — Kristian Ipsen topped the 3-meter springboard preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic diving trials Wednesday, with synchronized diving partner Troy Dumais in second.
Ipsen totaled 511.90 points in the six-round competition. Dumais had 465.70.
On the women’s 10-meter platform, Brittany Viola led all five preliminary rounds in scoring 380.55 points, including a 10.0 on her first dive. Katie Bell, who trains at Ohio State, was second at 339.25.
Ipsen took over the lead on his third dive and maintained it the rest of the way. He’s seeking his first Olympic berth, although the Stanford sophomore-to-be has two world meets under his belt. He and Dumais won a silver medal in 3-meter synchro at the 2009 worlds in Rome, and they were fourth last year in Shanghai.
Ipsen got his highest scores on a reverse with 31/2 somersaults in the fifth round, then followed up with a reverse 11/2 somersaults with 31/2 twists that earned mostly 9.0s on his final dive.
Dumais led after the opening round, briefly dropped to third and rebounded to second. He was helped by a strong fourth dive that received 8.5s and 9.0s.
“I wasn’t hitting the entries I normally hit,” Dumais said. “The idea is to keep building. All these lists count, so it’s important. I’m in a good place.”
The 32-year-old diver is bidding to join Greg Louganis as the only American men to make four Olympic diving teams. Dumais arrived at the competition with strep throat and a virus that nearly caused him to lose his voice.
“I still don’t have a full voice,” he said, adding that sometimes illness can work to an athlete’s advantage. “It keeps you settled down. I have to figure out how to manage it.”
Chris Colwill, 12th on 3-meter at the Beijing Olympics, was third at 458.90.
Justin Dumais, one of Troy’s three brothers, was fourth at 419.35. Another brother, Dwight, also advanced in seventh.
Thomas Finchum was fifth. The 2008 Olympian already reached the 10-meter platform final.
Viola, the 25-year-old daughter of 1987 World Series MVP Frank Viola, is competing in her third trials. She came close to making the Olympic team four years ago, but finished fourth.
“There’s been a lot of lessons, a lot of them have been very challenging,” she said. “My body feels very good. I’m so thankful. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.”
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.