Medalist
Andrew Capobianco
Olympic Silver Medalist: Diving
Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard
SL: Congratulations on winning your silver medal in the 3-meter synchronized springboard Olympic event. How does it feel to be in the Olympic record books?
Andrew: It’s pretty crazy. It still hasn’t fully sunk in. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions. It makes me very proud to be able to do that for Team USA, my community and my family who have put so much into this goal of mine. I’m very thankful.
SL: With your diving partner, Michael Hixon, you two took the bronze at the Pan-Am games in Lima in 2019. How did competing in the Olympics differ from the Pan-Am games?
Andrew: It actually seemed pretty similar to me, other than [for the Pan-Am games] there wasn’t as much hype and media coverage around the competition. I also got more support from back home during the Olympics. Other than that, every competition is similar to me because of my mindset going into them.
SL: Speaking of the support from home, what did you think of the Holly Springs “Welcome Home” event?
Andrew: It was amazing. That was more than I ever thought I’d come home to. I just thought that my parents would be at the airport, and we’d go out to dinner. I was a little bit tired and a little bit hungry, but there’s nothing that I would have rather done than to be there with the community for a couple of hours. That was just really special.
SL: You weren’t expecting a police escort from your gate all the way to downtown Holly Springs?
Andrew: I certainly was not expecting
to go on the top of a fire truck either. [laughs]
SL: How were the accommodations in the Olympic Village?
Andrew: Everything was great. I was a little worried on the way there. There was a lot of uncertainty with COVID, and I wasn’t sure how things would go, but the food was great, the people were so nice and hospitable, and were really waiting on us. Where we stayed in the Village was great, and the rooms were great. The cardboard beds were a little uncomfortable to be honest, but we got some mattress toppers, and the beds were fine.
I loved the Olympic Village, and it was a great experience to be there with the rest of the athletes from around the world.
SL: What was the worst part for you about the COVID restrictions?
Andrew: Not being able to see other events was the worst part for me. We were allowed to go to diving and swimming because they were in our venue, but other than that, we couldn’t go see track and field, or gymnastics, or any other sports, which was something that I was looking forward to.
SL: Was there something specific that you were hoping to see? Maybe gymnastics, with your history in the sport?
Andrew: I definitely wanted to go see gymnastics, but it was alright. [I] got to watch it on TV. We had a cool little game room in our Team USA building where a bunch of the athletes would just go in and watch the different events on TV, so it was still fun to do that, to get to watch with different athletes.
SL: Although you took bronze in the Pan-Am games, taking the silver on the world stage catapults you to a new level of recognizability, not just in Holly Springs, but worldwide. Does that make you nervous, excited or both?
Andrew: It makes me more excited to know that my name is out there now. There’s definitely a little bit of expectation that comes with that, but I’m definitely ready for that. I think I have been for a while. I haven’t had my best competitions internationally, so to have a good competition now, and to have my name out there in the diving world—especially for the judges to see—I think it sets me up for success in the future.
SL: Does that mean that we can expect to see you in the Olympic trials for the 2024 games?
Andrew: Yes. Absolutely. I will be there as long as I’m physically and mentally healthy. I’m excited to see where that can take me. I think three more years will do me well.
SL: I saw this morning that you have about 19,000 followers on Instagram. Is that a larger following than your numbers pre-Olympics?
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, before the Olympic trials I think I had less than 4,000 followers. It’s grown a lot. It’s pretty cool that people want to follow along on my journey. I think a lot of the people that are following me aren’t necessarily part of the diving community, so I think it’s a great opportunity to help grow this sport as well. (@ajcpo99)
SL: Is there anyone specific that you’d like to thank for helping you get to where you are as a competitor?
Andrew: As a competitor, my biggest thanks would go to my old coach, Katie Hazelton. She was my coach in high school and just really transformed me as a competitor. It’s allowed me to have that confidence that makes you do very well in a competition. I had the physical capabilities, but I was lacking mentally, and she helped me with that, so definitely her. Obviously my family, who has sacrificed so much for me to get where I am. My parents as well with the financial help and being there with me through my whole journey. My brothers, who have sacrificed so much to help me be able to achieve my goals. They’ve been selfless throughout the whole process. Even when it came down to moving to North Carolina, my twin brother Mathew didn’t really want to move, but he did because he knew it would be great for my diving, and he was willing to do that for me.
SL: You’ve only been diving for about 11 years, and I understand that for a little while you were competing in gymnastics and diving, simultaneously.
Andrew: Yes, for about four years.
SL: But you ultimately took the diving route. It has obviously paid off. What would you tell a gymnast that’s considering switching over?
Andrew: Gymnastics is a sport where you get this unique love for the sport that you don’t think that you’ll ever find anywhere else, but once you get into diving, you’ll find it’s the same type of love for the sport. And there’s such great people in the sport of diving. It’s a little bit less of an intense culture, and more of just trying to become the best athlete and person you can become. I think that all gymnasts should at least try it and see if they like it.
SL: You’re in school in Indiana now, competing for Indiana University. What’s your field of study there?
Andrew: I’m an exercise science student, and this is my fifth year, so I’ll be graduating this year.
SL: Do you plan to move back to Holly Springs after you graduate?
Andrew: No, I’ll plan on being in Indiana for a while since that’s where my coach is, and all of my support staff is there. We just bought a house there, so I’ll be paying that mortgage for a while. Depending on how my diving is going, I’ll probably be staying there until at least 2028.
SL: What would be your dream job after college?
Andrew: I think I want to stay in diving and become a coach. I’ve talked to my coach a little bit about taking over his job once he retires. That would be a dream-come-true for me because I really like Indiana. I love the culture there and they’ve done so much for me that I would really like to give back to them.
SL: Do you have a go-to restaurant in Holly Springs?
Andrew: I really like Cristo’s. That’s where we went after the “shindig” [homecoming].
SL: In 2017, you graduated from Holly Springs High School. What’s your favorite thing about Holly Springs?
Andrew: I think I saw that when I came home. It’s such a great community. Everyone is so nice. Going to high school here, all the teachers were so accommodating to me with my journey of going to the Olympics. Obviously, they wanted me to be the best student I could be, but they also realized that I had dreams elsewhere. I’m very thankful for that.
You can follow Andrew @ajcapo99
