SOUTHLAKE, Texas — There are 613 athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Among that crowd representing the stars and stripes is an 18-year-old diver from Southlake, Texas.

What You Need To Know

  • A month ago, Hailey Hernandez graduated from Southlake Carroll High School. Now? She’s an Olympian and the youngest female diver on Team USA

  • Hernandez's older brother Nathaniel, who was a diver at Duke University, introduced her to the sport at 7 years old

  • She will compete in the women’s 3m springboard event on Friday at 1 a.m.

Her name is Hailey Hernandez. In the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, she scored 67.50 total points to clinch one of two spots on Team USA, becoming the youngest female diver to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

“Going into my last dive, I knew the points I needed to make the team. When I hit the water I knew I had done it,” said Hernandez. “I was just so overwhelmed with emotion. I was so happy. Even to this day, it’s still hitting me, like, wow, I’m an Olympian. Like I just made that team"

Her journey did not start in Japan, however. It began in Texas 11 years ago at the Keller ISD Natatorium. That’s where 7-year-old Hailey took her first dive into a pool. But it was her older brother Nathaniel who paved the way for the young diver.

“My older brother was actually a diver too,” she said proudly. “He was my inspiration and the one who got me into the sport. So I’ve always wanted to follow along in his footsteps. When we were younger he’d always try to teach me his flips and tricks. I just fell in love with it.”

According to Mom the two were competitive as can be.

“Oh yeah, they’ve always competed against each other,” said Hernandez's mother, Teresa. “Hailey’s been competitive since birth. But really she has.”

In middle school, however, the competitive juices on the diving board almost stopped altogether. 

“I definitely did think about quitting,” Hernandez admitted. “I struggled with the fear of learning new dives. And so I came to a point where I was like, is this really what I want to do? But after talking to my coaches, I pushed through that. And I’m so glad that I did.”

In a sport defined by individual achievement, it’s easy to lose your composure on the diving board. But in Hernandez's case, her mental strength prevails in those make-or-break moments. 

“Usually when I’m up there, I take a deep breath and focus on what I’m doing,” she said. “From then on out, I’m focusing on very little things. I’ve done the dives hundreds of millions of times. So it’s just muscle memory by now."

Confidence and experience are crucial strengths to have on the world’s biggest stage. Unfortunately, that stage will be without friends and family this time around. Due to health protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic, no fans will be in attendance for the Tokyo Olympic Games. But the Hernandez family will be there in spirit along with the entire city of Southlake cheering her on 6,000 miles away.

“Having that parade in my honor was absolutely amazing. Just seeing everyone come out there to support me, it was more than I could have ever imagined," she said. 

“We are so proud of her and want her to know that no matter what the outcome is,” Teresa said.

“I definitely am nervous,” said Hernandez. “I am competing against the best in the world. But more so I am excited to go out there, compete and do the best I can for me."

Hernandez will compete in the women’s 3m springboard event on Friday at 1 a.m.