Laura Wilkinson is more than twice the age she was when she took home a diving gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, but that hasn’t stopped the 43-year-old mother of four from chasing one last Olympic dream.
Wilkinson’s improbable journey is on the cusp of an incredible chapter as she is now one step away from earning a spot in her fourth Olympics after initially retiring from diving 13 years ago.
“I’m kind of just surprised I’m doing it, honestly,” Wilkinson told Savannah Guthrie on TODAY Friday. “When I retired at 30 I was old back then, so this whole journey has just been a crazy, fun road.”
The Houston native has qualified for Sunday’s diving finals at the U.S. Olympic trials in her bid to earn a spot on Team USA for next month’s Tokyo Olympics.
“I never thought I would get to come back and dive again after I retired 13 years ago,” she told NBC Sports after qualifying for the women’s platform finals. “So this is really a gift, every dive is a gift. I love doing it and this is really special.”
Her husband, Eriek Hulseman, four children, and her mother have been cheering her on in person this week at the Indiana University Natatorium on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus.
“When you feel called to do something and you’re passionate about it, you just want to be all…
