Olympic medalist and Dover native Jessica Parratto visits city Tuesday, will be honored at public event

posted on: 8/13/2021; updated: 8/15/2021

Dover native and Tokyo Olympics silver medalist diver Jessica Parratto will visit her hometown and be honored by the City of Dover at an event at the Rotary Arts Pavilion at Henry Law Park this Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 5:30 p.m. Dover Mayor Robert Carrier, members of the City Council, and other officials will be in attendance to help celebrate Parratto's Olympic achievements. The public is welcome to attend.

Parratto won the silver medal in the women's synchronized 10-meter platform diving competition on July 27 with diving partner Delaney Schnell. It is the United States' first Olympic medal in that competition. The 27-year-old also participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she placed seventh in the same event and 10th in the individual 10-meter platform diving competition.

Parratto began her swimming career at the Seacoast Swimming Association in Dover, founded by her parents Amy and Mike Parratto, both members of the Dover Sports Hall of Fame. Jessica started her diving career with her mother, a five-time All-American Diver at Wellesley College, as her coach. Her father was an early coach of another Dover Olympian, Jenny Thompson, one of the most decorated Olympians in history.

As a ninth grader, Jessica dived and swam for the Dover High School team in 2009, helping Dover Green Wave become the Division I New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Girls Swimming and Diving Champions that year. Parratto’s six dive score of 253.95 from Feb. 15, 2009, still stands as an NHIAA record.

Jessica lived in Dover through her freshman year at Dover High School before moving to Indianapolis to further her training with USA Diving. While attending Indiana University, Jessica was the 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 10-meter diving champion. She graduated in 2019 with a degree in sports media.