When he returned to diving in the summer of 1982, he made the World Championships on platform and earned a bronze medal as well as the nickname "The Comeback Kid."

At the 1984 Summer Olympics, he overtook Li Kongzheng with his final dive to win the silver medal, placing behind fellow American Greg Louganis.

On August 1, 1988, two weeks before the U.S. Olympic diving trials, Kimball, drunk—with a BAC of .20 (twice the legal limit), he plowed his late model sports car into a crowd of teenagers while driving an estimated 70 to 90 miles per hour (110 to 140 km/h), killing two boys and severely injuring four others.

[1][2][3][4] Despite the tragedy, Kimball took part in the diving trials, but failed to make the team.

[4] As a part of his sentence, his driving privileges were “permanently” revoked by Judge Harry Coe, and were reinstated in 2018.