Platform, Women

The Americans swept the medals with the same threesome that had swept the medals in 1952. Pat McCormick won gold to complete her double-double, winning springboard and platform in both 1952 and 1956. The silver medal in Melbourne went to Juno Irwin, while Paula Jean Myers won bronze, as they reversed their positions from Helsinki. The event was closer than expected as Myers led the qualifying round of four dives, with McCormick only fourth, 1.68 points behind Myers. The final consisted of two optional dives, and McCormick posted the best score on each dive to win her fourth gold medal. This was the last medal sweep in women’s diving at the Olympics, and under current rules, it cannot occur again, as each nation is now limited to only two divers per event.