Tyler Downs Makes The Paris Olympics Look Like Brat Summer

Olympian Tyler Downs is just as excited as you are to watch Simone Biles dominate in Paris. The 21-year-old diver, who is competing in his second Olympic games this year, posted a TikTok that went viral during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where he mimicked coyly waving at Biles with the caption, “heyy girl we are teammates.”

Downs did get to meet Biles that year — and he met another one of his role models, gold medalist swimmer Katie Ledecky, at the World Championships last summer. “It was my birthday, and she said happy birthday to me. No biggie,” Downs tells Elite Daily. “That was pretty cool.”

The Purdue University student may not be Biles-level famous (yet), but he’s built his growing fan base through a uniquely Gen Z route: TikTok. Downs has 880,000 followers on the app, and he regularly goes viral for his funny behind-the-scenes videos — doing the Charli XCX “Apple” dance in his Olympics gear or begging Kim Kardashian to send him a bigger SKIMS haul. He even gave his followers a look at the infamous anti-sex cardboard beds in the Olympic Village, doing a front flip to test their sturdiness (the verdict: “they are durable, so use your imagination”).

Though he may be silly and unserious online, Downs is more than ready to bring home a medal in the men's individual 3-meter springboard competition, which begins on Aug. 6 in Paris. “I’m so eager to have everything happen,” he says.

Below, Downs, who’s partnering with the flirting app Rizz, shares his goals for competition, what it’s actually like hanging out and dating in the Olympic Village, and what a “brat Olympics” means to him.

ED: This is your second Olympics. What are your goals this time around? Are they different from when you were going into Tokyo in 2021?

TD: Yeah, this Olympics is definitely different. Tokyo was during COVID, and there wasn't anybody in the venues to watch and support us, so we didn't have that energy from the crowd. In Paris, I'm super excited to get the full Olympics experience of having people there.

I also have no expectations. That's how I go into every competition — with a neutral mindset so I can just do my thing.

ED: What’s it like living in the Olympic Village? Is it like dorm life?

TD: It’s kind of like a mini college campus — I mean, not exactly mini. There are thousands of athletes there, but each country has their own apartment building. Four to six athletes live together in each room. I'll be living with four other male divers on my team and two rugby players.

People only see the competition, but it's all fun outside of the training and practices. In the village, everyone eats together, and we walk around and hang out. There are arcades. I wouldn't say there's a ton of downtime to sit and talk because we do have to train, but we also have fun.

ED: You’re partnering with Rizz, and you use the app too. Do athletes typically try to date at the Olympics?

TD: I definitely think it might be in the back of people's minds to meet people in the village. There are so many of us, and we all want to get to know each other — we're meeting athletes competing to be the best in the world.

I relate flirting and diving similarly. It's an art form, and you practice it to get it right.

ED: So if you *do* end up on dating apps in Paris, do you have a particular strategy or mindset?

TD: I relate flirting and diving similarly. It's an art form, and you practice it to get it right — otherwise it can obviously go very badly.

ED: I love that you tied that back to diving. You’ve been doing the sport since you were 5 years old. How big of a role did it play in your life growing up?

TD: I started out as a swimmer for a summer league in my hometown in Missouri. I saw the divers and thought it looked fun. My mom obviously wanted to make sure I was safe and wasn't going to get hurt, so she talked to the coach and got me signed up. I've loved it ever since. I've done a few different sports, like soccer, baseball, and trampoline, but diving stuck with me.

ED: You’re reminding me that I was always the kid who was too scared to jump off the high board, so this was never in the cards for me. Were you always a thrill-seeker?

TD: I was, yeah. With diving, it's like you're free-falling and flying. I love that feeling. I still have a little bit of fear of the board height, but it’s more so about getting the dive wrong and getting hurt.

ED: I can’t believe you still have a fear of heights.

TD: I know. I probably shouldn't have said that.

ED: You’re heading back to Purdue this fall. How have you balanced being a student with being an athlete?

TD: Purdue has been great. They're really good with keeping students balanced with their work and competition, and obviously I travel so much. Sometimes we're gone for two out of four weeks of the month, but my professors have helped, knowing that I can't always do the full assignment. They don't give me leverage or anything, but they definitely keep that in mind.

ED: Do you have any time management advice?

TD: Just get it done, as cliche as that sounds. I’m an athlete, but I'm a student as well, and I want my academics to be at the same level as my diving.

ED: What does a day in your life look like during peak training season?

TD: Peak season in diving is mainly in the summers. Training starts around 7 or 8 a.m., and we train on dry land for three and a half hours. Dry land consists of conditioning, abs, and getting your body warmed up because you can get more repetitions on a mat than you can in the pool.

We have a lunch break, and then three more hours of training in the pool. We don’t get home until close to dinnertime, but time flies at training because it’s fun to be with teammates.

ED: I imagine you're pretty Olympics-focused right now, but do you have any goals for your career after graduation?

TD: I’m majoring in pre-chiropractic, so hopefully in the future I’ll be able to go to chiropractic school and open my own practice. I want to work with athletes, because the medical team I’ve been working with has been great and I've learned a lot from them. So that’s one potential outcome after graduation, but I’m also just going to see what happens when I get there.

ED: Like so many of us, you’re a big fan of Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky. What do you admire about them?

TD: They’re both amazing athletes and I love what they can do, especially being female in sports. It’s crazy the amount of medals and success they've had, and I look up to them in wanting to be the best I can be, outside of sports as well. We're all humans, and I love how they remind everybody about mental health and the struggles people go through.

ED: Is there anyone else you’re looking forward to seeing this year?

TD: This basketball team, with LeBron and Steph Curry. Hopefully I can go watch.

ED: You declared Paris 2024 as a brat Olympics. What does that mean to you?

TD: Going with the flow and soaking it all in. I mean, we're in Paris. It’s all about being yourself.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.