Tucson High, Arizona diving alum Delaney Schnell 'likely hanging up the suit' after Paris games

At every stop in Delaney Schnell’s diving career, the Tucson native has garnered accolades.

The former Tucson High Badger was a state champion and national champion before becoming a three-time Pac-12 Diver of the Year recipient and a national champion, in addition to setting UA diving records. As a professional, Schnell won a silver medal for the USA in the previous Olympics in Tokyo three years ago.

Schnell’s upcoming stint at the Paris Olympics could be her diving curtain call, as she’s “likely hanging up the suit after this.”

“I’m really just trying to go in and appreciate the sport and do it for the little girl that started in the first place,” Schnell said.

The 25-year-old Schnell cited her master’s degree in speech-language pathology and being closer to her fiancé, who’s serving as a military deployment overseas in Europe, as reasons to retire from diving.

But she hasn’t officially made a decision.

“I’ve been an athlete my whole life, and I at least will take a year just to decide what’s going to be best for my future career in speech,” Schnell said. “And my fiancé is also military, so it’s a little difficult with him. We’ve been distanced for about two, almost three years. So I think I’m just ready to be with him and not do the long distance anymore. I think we’re both pretty ready for that. So I think over this next year, I just need some time to reflect on what I want to do next with diving and my future career in speech-language pathology.”

Back with USA, Schnell will have two medal opportunities in the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 24. Schnell will compete individually on the 10-meter platform and 10-meter syncro with diving partner Jessica Parratto, who contemplated retirement before returning for her third Olympics as a 29-year-old.

Schnell spoke with the Star’s Wildcast Podcast leading up to the Olympics to talk about her Olympic experience and representing USA and Tucson. The full interview with Schnell can be heard on The Wildcast’s Apple Podcasts and Spotify pages.

Here’s what Schnell discussed:

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The time hasn’t come yet, but is stepping away from diving hard to grasp mentally, because you’ve dedicated literally your entire life to this? I’m sure that’s a little strange for you.

A: “I think if you ask any athlete, it’s going to be really tough because, unfortunately, athletes get so wrapped up in this sport that it just basically becomes their identity, and so that’s going to be the most challenging thing. I’m going to have to find other things to direct my attention towards, like other sports, other activities that I can be competitive in, because I’m very competitive at nature. So I think it’s going to be very difficult. I think that transition will be quite hard. But that’s what this next year is going to be about. ‘Is it time for me to hang up the suit? Is it not?’ Because it might not be. I mean, I just don’t know. It’s going to be a time of rest and a time of just reflection.”

How was it receiving an Olympic medal?

A: “The emotions were so overwhelming. I honestly barely remember anything that was happening. It was just such a whirlwind. And it was unfortunate that my family couldn’t be there for it. But after we received our medals, we got to go to this camera area where our family was FaceTiming in and we got to talk with them and show them the medal. And it was really emotional for Jess, simply because her dad is a USA swim coach, so they’ve been involved in sports their whole life. And my family grew up running and doing sports, so it was just really cool to see our family live after that all happened, even though it wasn’t in person.

“That whole experience, it was so unbelievable. Still to this day, it was such a whirlwind. I really couldn’t even tell you the emotions that were going through my head on the podium. It’s really a blur. ... So the one thing I do remember is, because of COVID, we had to put the medals on ourselves; they weren’t putting them on for us. I remember picking it up off the tray for the first time and I felt the weight of it and was just like, ‘Whoa.’ ... Even to this day, like when I let people wear it or hold it like, I still love to let people hold it and wear it, because if they can at least get an understanding of what it feels like to hold that medal, it’s incredible for them and it’s equally as incredible for me.”

How was it competing in your first Olympics amid a global pandemic?

A: It was tough, because not only do you have the stress of competing, you have the stress of, ‘What if I got sick right before?’ We were testing in the village every single day, we had to spit in the tubes every single day. Every morning, you’d wake up, spit in a tube, deliver it, and just hope that you don’t test positive. So I think that’s where it was adding an extra level of stress, because that’s something you just can’t control. ... But I think the other benefit of not having it be so chaotic with fans and spectators and family, is that it made it a little less overwhelming in that sense. So I think it was an easier transition into that Olympic environment, because any athlete will tell you the Olympics is just chaos.”

Now that you have Olympic experience, how do you apply those lessons into this go-around?

A: “I think first and foremost, enjoy it. You only get a couple of these in your lifetime. There’s not many athletes who even get to say they go to two or three (Olympics). There’s very few that even get to say they go to one. So for me to go to a second, I think I really just want to make sure I enjoy it and also not let myself get overwhelmed by all the excitement that comes with it, just because I’m going to have fans and spectators there now, and I think it’s going to be a lot more crazy than Tokyo. So I’m just hoping to keep my head down and stay in my zone, and also just make sure I’m enjoying it.”