Olympic Diving 2012: Nicholas McCrory Will Win Men's 10-Meter

Like peanut butter and jelly, China and diving are meant to be together. That is why it came as no surprise when the synchronized 10-meter gold medal was awarded to the Chinese.

However, what may surface as something quite refreshing is how the American team finished.

You would have to retreat back to the Sydney Olympics to locate the last time the United States dive team sat on the podium. The grueling 12-year drought is now over.

The Americans have doubled their pleasure in London, racking up two medals thus far. The pairing of Nicholas McCrory and David Boudia helped pull off a bronze finish in the 10-meter synchronized. Now, McCrory and Boudia will face one another as they look to lift their bronze medal finish in the individual 10-meter dive. 

McCrory’s thirst for more will drive him to oust his competition. McCrory’s mindset and dedication is unmatched. So much so, that he decided to forgo the recent scholastic year to focus solely on the Olympics.

If that brave act doesn’t translate to how meaningful a gold medal is to McCrory, then I don’t know what would.

Leading into the games, the expectations for the United States have remained trivial. That is because the Chinese have remained a one-man wrecking crew in the sport.

McCrory’s back-to-back NCAA national titles prove he has what it takes to connect on a gold medal performance.

It is time for the United States to elude the protruding shadow of the Chinese and implement some new pages into the history books.

The time is now, and London is the place to do it. The stage is set. McCrory’s quest for gold will tip off on Friday.