12 Facts About Laura Wilkinson

1.

Laura Wilkinson is the first woman to win the three major diving world titles.

2.

Laura Wilkinson attended Klein High School in Houston before going to University of Texas.

3.

Laura Wilkinson is a 2001 graduate of the University of Texas, where she majored in public relations.

4.

Laura Wilkinson took up platform diving and joined the US National Team in 1995.

5.

Six months prior to the 2000 Summer Olympics, Laura Wilkinson suffered a serious foot injury that kept her out of action for a couple of months.

6.

Laura Wilkinson employed a visualization technique to practice her dives during this time, and wasn't fully healed when she qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics.

7.

Laura Wilkinson went on to earn the first gold medal for a female American platform diver since 1964.

8.

Laura Wilkinson finished in fifth place at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but had left an impact on her competitors.

9.

Laura Wilkinson announced her retirement and this Olympics would be her final competition.

10.

In 2017, after nine years of retirement, Laura Wilkinson returned to competition and placed 2nd at US Nationals.

11.

Laura Wilkinson gave birth to a son, Zadok, in January 2014.

12.

Laura Wilkinson had major surgery on her neck in 2018 to repair damage to discs injured by her diving career.