Indy's Sarah Bacon makes U.S. diving history with 2nd world silver

No American has more World Championship medals in women’s diving than Sarah Bacon.

The Indianapolis native won her second silver Wednesday night, climbing into second place in the last round of 1-meter springboard at Budapest, Hungary.

She earned 7s and 7.5s on her front 2 ½ somersaults pike, worth 57.20 points. That allowed her to overtake Canada’s Mia Vallee by five-hundredths of a point, 276.65 to 276.60.

China’s 19-year-old Li Yajie won gold with 300.85.

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Bacon's medal was the first for USA Diving at this World Championships.

Vallee, of the University of Miami (Fla.), led through three of five rounds. Bacon was consistent throughout, with the second- or third-highest score in all five. Vallee had beaten Bacon, of Minnesota, to win 1-meter at March's NCAA Championships.

Brooke Schultz finished 10th in her first world final. Bacon (Cardinal Ritter) and Schultz (Hamilton Heights) were both Indiana high school state champions.

"All the competitors in the final are amazing," Bacon told USA Diving. "Mia and I have been diving alongside each other basically all year throughout the NCAA season. I knew it was going to be a tough battle, but I pulled through in the end and hit my last dive.

"We are continuing to work hard towards the goals that we have set. We are moving forward. We are going to keep doing what we are doing, and hopefully keep adding to what I have accomplished so far."

Bacon, 25, was second-oldest among the 12 finalists. In 2019, she became the first American female diver to win a world or Olympic individual medal since Laura Wilkinson was world champion on 10-meter platform in 2005.

The United States’ other two-time world medalist in women’s diving is Wendy Nyland, who won a gold in 1982 and bronze in 1986 on 10-meter. Only three U.S. men have more than two individual world medals: Greg Louganis (five), Phil Boggs (three) and Noblesville’s David Boudia (three).

Bacon, a five-time NCAA champion, was 2021 women’s Big Ten athlete of the year.

She narrowly missed Team USA for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She was third on 3-meter in the trials at Indianapolis, and two made it.

In a pre-Olympics event at Tokyo, she won a World Cup silver medal on 3-meter.

At Budapest, Bacon has prelims and semifinals on 3-meter Friday and, if she qualifies, the final on Saturday.

More: Lilly King finishes off World Championships with third gold medal

Elsewhere at worlds, 18-year-old Plainfield diver Daryn Wright finished ninth Monday in women’s 10-meter.

Also Wednesday, Wright and Maxwell Flory were eighth in the mixed team event and Indiana University's Kristen Hayden and Quentin Henninger eighth in mixed synchronized 3-meter. Flory and Greenwood’s Zach Cooper were eighth in men’s synchro 10-meter.

Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: FINA World Championships: Sarah Bacon wins silver for US Diving