Australia has named 18-year-old Brittany O’Brien to its Olympic diving roster to replace the injured Brittany Broben.
Broben, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist, suffered a shoulder injury during Australia’s Diving Nomination Trials, and was forced to withdraw from the Olympic team late last week after what was termed as “a setback.” (More on that here).
The Australian Olympic Committee announced O’Brien Sunday as the replacement addition to take Broben’s position. Olympic diving invites are distributed by nation, not by individual, so Australia is able to choose which divers fill its allotted Olympic spots.
O’Brien will compete in the women’s 10-meter platform along with Melissa Wu, who was already qualified for the event. She will also become the youngest member of the Australian Olympic Diving Team – a trait she interestingly shares with the woman she is replacing. Broben was the youngest member of Australia’s dive team in London, and won silver on the diving platform.
“Whilst still disappointed that Brittany Broben can’t be a part of our team in Rio, we are very pleased that we have been able to replace her and we look forward to Brittany O’Brien joining us in Rio in the coming days, she will be the youngest member of our Diving Team,” said Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team, Kitty Chiller.
