UNC diver Aranza Vazquez prepares for second Olympic appearance

Two years ago, Aranza Vazquez watched the 2022 World Aquatic Championships from her home in Mexico. 

Coming off her sophomore stint, which saw her reach the heights of the Tokyo Olympics and claim the bronze medal during the NCAA 1-meter springboard diving championship, Vazquez lost her passion for diving. Head diving coach Yaidel Gamboa noticed that the fire Vazquez had when she first became a Tar Heel in 2020 was gone. 

"She pushed through that season as good as she could, but she was definitely not the same," Gamboa said. 

So, the duo agreed on an atypical regimen — take the summer off.

Vazquez spent those three months with her family and friends. She committed to a low-stakes program to stay in shape while at home. In Gamboa's words, she needed to "get her head out of the pool." But as the diver watched the World Aquatic Championships go on without her, she picked up her phone and contacted the diving coach.

The message to Gamboa was clear. Vazquez wanted to be back in the pool. 

Since that summer, Vazquez has achieved almost everything a collegiate diver can dream. Five consecutive ACC diving championship titles. Back-to-back national championship titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competition. Etching her name in UNC history after becoming the first female diver to reach the Olympics and first diver to win a national championship.

Following the break, Gamboa knew as soon as Vazquez stepped back on the diving board that she had a different air about her. 

"But from day one, it was very clear that she had the fire back, and she had the motivation to conquer the war again," Gamboa said. "And she did."

But after placing sixth in the 3-meter springboard competition at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Vazquez has one personal goal left to check off before her time at UNC ends — medaling at the Olympics. 

“Being on the podium, I think that’s my biggest dream,” Vazquez said. “At that point, I don’t care about the color, as long as it’s metal, I want it.”

In February, the then-senior went to the 2024 World Aquatic Championships in Qatar with her spot for Team Mexico on the line. 

With the Olympic trials a few months away, Vazquez knew that to guarantee her spot she had to medal in Qatar. She finished seventh in the world in the 3-meter springboard final. Without the podium finish, Vazquez remained uncertain on whether she would step foot in Paris without going through the trials first. 

But right after the competition, the diver found herself walking with Gamboa and members of the Mexican Olympic Committee. As the group talked about the competition, Gamboa delivered the news Vazquez had been waiting on since she went to the Games in 2021.  

She would travel to the 2024 Olympic Games and compete for Team Mexico. 

First came denial. Then the tears. And then the wait before Vazquez could call her parents and celebrate with them as she traveled from the pool to the hotel with no phone service. 

"It was a surreal moment," Vazquez said. "It almost felt like a blackout, just like realizing that I'm getting to go again."

While making it to the podium is the ultimate goal for the Olympics, Vazquez often returns to that summer break.

With more experience on her hands, she wants to stay present and enjoy every moment in Paris. It isn't about perfection anymore. She wants to embrace the feelings that have pushed her to dedicate herself to diving — the anticipation, the adrenaline, everything that comes with competing. 

"I feel like now I know how to handle all the pressure and the expectations in a positive way," Vazquez said. 

Three years ago, Vazquez tattooed the Olympic rings on her left forearm after Tokyo. 

While the diver isn't planning on altering the tattoo in anyway until she retires from diving altogether, she's willing to make one exception if she achieves one of the only goals left unchecked after her journey to this moment. 

If she reaches the podium in Paris, she'll tattoo the historic date right beside the rings. 

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