"What’s the purpose? As part of ZICO’s Olympic campaign, she will be featured in a series of promotions, along with diver David Boudia. This advice is something that Boudia has had to draw on again since recovering from depression because, as he discovered, life isn’t a linear journey. "I wanted to just lay in bed and not think about anything - to the point where it got so bad that I contemplated suicide.”. Boudia’s mental health began to deteriorate after representing the United States at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games when he was just 19. It likely was accelerated by a concussion he suffered during training nearly a year and a half ago. But, he luckily only suffered a minor concussion. After his third Games at Rio 2016, Boudia suffered a concussion whilst diving off a 10m platform, forcing him to re-evaluate his discipline and ultimately choose to leave his 10m platform career behind and pursue the 3m springboard for Tokyo. To everyone else, it seemed as if he had it all. Boudia, the 2012 Olympic platform champion and four-time medalist, switched after returning to training in early summer from a February concussion. Johnson and his teammate, fellow Indiana native David Boudia, were consistent through all six rounds en route to winning silver behind China’s gold medal tandem. Why am I here? Of course, Boudia has had to adjust to diving off the 3-meter springboard, which is like jumping off a one-story building compared to the greater heights where he made his mark. “I didn’t want to look down the road watching Tokyo from my couch saying, ‘I could have done that physically. Follow on
. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s now the second leading cause of death among young Americans. If you are struggling with your mental health, it often feels as though there is no one you can trust to confide in, but from Boudia’s experience, just getting your emotions out and letting go of the expectations of your life’s journey is the best step you can take. ‘I gotta commend him for just getting back onto that platform,’ chipped in judge and Olympic Gold medalist David Boudia. Boudia was named to the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in the 10-meter platform and in the synchronized 10-meter platform event with former synchro partner Thomas Finchum. Yet in an odd way, the crash brought him some much-needed clarity. He's also training his spirit and his heart and hopes to inspire others with his message. The 29-year-old said he just about belly-flopped in a February crashed dive in platform practice, the worst he had missed a dive … That knocked him out of … But concentrating all of his efforts on the fleeting goal of winning was damaging to his mental health. By Alex Abrams |
It just takes time to get the rhythm. It wasn’t long before he transitioned into diving, a sport which would later see him winning a gold medal at London 2012 and would also play a vital part in his battle with depression. In February 2018 he sustained a concussion as a result of a 10m diving accident. The pressure to achieve can be crippling and in the moments we don’t succeed, being too critical of ourselves can cause us to spiral into depression. All five of Boudia’s world medals come from platform events. The injury nearly cost him his life. The summer before he began his sophomore year at Purdue University, he became more and more depressed. But he wasn’t prepared for the impact that achieving this would have on his mental health and the deep depression that would accompany his new-found success. He was unaware of the condition for some time and continued to train and dive, until he began having spells of dizziness, blackouts, numbness, and fatigue. "The lights turned out and it was like I was this average Joe again.". His family, who were already Olympics fanatics, were a strong support system whose work ethic inspired him to aim high. Boudia suffered a concussion this past year, which played a large part in why he made the switch to the 3-meter board. Want to learn to curl like the pros? What am I doing? What’s the point in all of this?". Boudia and Finchum were 2009 World Championship (Rome) Silver Medalists, and 2007 World Championship (Melbourne) Bronze Medalists. Boudia experienced dizziness, blackouts and fatigue following his dive in February that went horribly wrong. "Value the journey and not just the medal you might win.". While sidelined, he made some major changes to his life. All Rights Reserved. U.S. diver Steele Johnson won a silver medal Monday in Rio de Janeiro with teammate David Boudia for men’s synchronized 10-meter platform diving. He also won a bronze medal with Nick McCrory in the men's syn Despite Steele’s struggle with his memory, he went on to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. David Boudia, a four-time medalist aiming for his fourth Olympic Games, has been dealt a setback in his diving comeback. After his return to competition in Australia, Boudia’s schedule will intensify with the 2018 USA Diving Winter Trials in Atlanta in mid-December. After excelling in the 10m platform, David Boudia suffered concussion and retired from diving. After appearing timid in the preliminaries, Boudia admitted he needed several “rough” dives in Southport to “kind of flip that switch in” and finish first in his semifinal group. It was his first time competing since earning the synchronized silver and individual bronze medals on 10-meter platform at the 2016 Olympics. Looking for breaking news, videos, Olympic and Paralympic team bios all at your fingertips? It tends to be an event for younger divers, not a married man with two daughters and a real estate license like Boudia. From a young age, he was always driven by what he now feels were superficial goals; fame, riches and notoriety. Boudia experienced dizziness, blackouts and fatigue following his dive in February that went horribly wrong. While he was the king of platform, Soldati believes there is a strong foundation for springboard success. He retired an Olympic champion and four-time medallist in one diving event,... Boudia’s experience isn’t uncommon - in the last two decades, the suicide rate among people aged 10 to 24 has increased dramatically by over 50%. Download the Team USA app today. This event took place on 11/08/12 at the Aquatics centre, London. Discover more about David Boudia’s journey in our new original series, What Moves Me, in partnership with Toyota. Being at the Games was a rollercoaster that saw him experience the highs of competing among the world’s top athletes contrasted with days when he felt inexplicably low. After his third Games at Rio 2016, Boudia suffered a concussion whilst diving off a 10m platform, forcing him to re-evaluate his discipline and ultimately choose to leave his 10m platform career behind and pursue the 3m springboard for Tokyo. “It was time for a change,” said Boudia, who won three of his six NCAA titles on 3-meter event while competing at Purdue. For Johnson, it was the final step to overcoming a horrific head injury he endured seven years earlier while practicing his diving. He has spent the past five months training to dive off the 3-meter springboard, after winning a combined nine Olympic and world medals on the platform, including four in synchronized, dating back to 2007. david boudia, katrina young, & michael hixon highlight 2019 world championships week – diving, beginning tonight at 8 p.m. et on olympic channel: home of team usa U.S. Women’s Diving Ends 14-Year Individual Medal Drought with Performances by Sarah Bacon & Delaney Schnell “It was kind of a good wakeup call snapping on the water to kind of open up my eyes and (see) what am I doing now that’s going to get me to where I want to be in the future,” he said. After excelling in the 10m platform, David Boudia suffered concussion and retired from diving. He’ll then train heavily in the hopes of posting a strong showing at the 2019 world championships and qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. Shortly after announcing his return to diving, Boudia suffered a concussion that kept him away from most of 2018 competition. “And that’s when I kind of took a step back and prioritized what’s most important right now.”. After two more medals – silver and bronze – in Rio four years later, Boudia took time off from diving. Upon his return to competition, a serious concussion suffered after a training incident led the diver to change tack, switching to the lower 3m springboard. But why did Boudia not just retire from diving and relax at home with his family and sell real estate? He has a simple way of explaining the difference. David Boudia Wins 3-meter National Title, Makes World Championship Team Team USA After becoming one of the most decorated divers in U.S. history on the 10-meter platform, three-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist David Boudia’s transition to … ... Men’s 3-meter: David Boudia. He was forced to miss several major competitions this year because of the concussion. “Let’s say you drive a sedan your entire life and you step out and you get into a truck, and the feel is just different,” Boudia said. With his past synchro partner, Nick McCrory, they achieved Bronze medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He finished the final with 422.05 points, just 7.40 points behind Australia’s Kevin Chavez. David Boudia, U.S. Olympic gold medallist diver, struggled to ride the high... At the age of 11, in suburban Indianapolis, Boudia’s ambitions began to take shape as he worked towards becoming a top athlete. Each Tuesday leading up to the Games, TeamUSA.org will present a nugget you should read about – from athletes to watch to storylines to follow to Japanese culture and landmarks – as part of “Tokyo 2020 Tuesday.” Follow along on social media with the hashtag #Tokyo2020Tuesday. “All of those together created an explosion, and so I went up on (the) 10-meter (platform) and crashed,” Boudia said. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 run July 24-Aug. 9, 2020, and while they may be nearly 20 months away there’s a lot to learn on your quest to becoming the ultimate fan. That included recognising that success is as much about the journey as it is about the end goal and learning to enjoy it by not worrying about what he can’t control along the way. Why did I not try?’” Boudia said. He hated training, and his stress level was “extremely high” as he tried juggling being a husband, a father and a budding real estate entrepreneur. The 2019 World Championships marked Boudia’s first real test in his new event, where he finished fifth. Empower Team USA athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence and well-being. Alex Abrams has written about Olympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He was managing 15 clients on top of training full-time. If this sounds familiar, then you’re not alone; around one in five young Americans now struggle with their mental health. Boudia said several factors went into the decision for him to start diving from 3 meters, which he hadn’t competed in at an elite level internationally since 2014. According to Boudia, he began to feel anxiety on the 10-meter platform. The challenge of the 3m springboard reignited his passion for the sport. He is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc. Diver David Boudia Returns To Competition For First Time Since 2016 Olympics, Medals On 3-meter, Bridget O’Neil Wins Youth Olympic Diving Bronze – 94 Years After Her Great-Uncle’s Olympic Gold, Youth Olympic Diver Jack Matthews Talks Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder And His Mentality At The Games, Oh The Places They’ll Go: See The Amazing Things Summer Youth Olympians Have Gone On To Do, 8 Of The Most Memorable Videos From The 2018 Team USA Summer Champions Series. The challenge of the 3m springboard reignited his passion for the sport. Find out why the American is now targeting a fifth Olympic medal in Tokyo. David found out later that the coach had said he would never be good enough to compete at the highest level due to his having a “banana back.” Boudia remembers this as the moment that triggered his “turbo self,” a hyper-competitive drive to excel. Just weeks before, he’d been rubbing shoulders with the elite U.S Olympic team, achieving the goals he’d set for himself as a child and now he was walking through campus like everyone else. Diving off the 10-meter platform takes a toll on an Olympian’s joints. It was at this point that Boudia knew he needed help. Feeling rejuvenated and in the best shape of his career, Boudia returned to competition this past week at the FINA Gold Coast Grand Prix in Southport, Australia, where he finished second on the springboard. "I wanted to succeed and achieve the dream that I had, and I spent hours thinking about how I could get that done.". ", “The 10-meter is different than the springboard. Boudia, whose favorite dive is 109C, enjoys anything competitive (football, basketball, soccer, etc.) Boudia experienced this first-hand. David Bou... TM © Olympic Channel Services S.L. — David Boudia. Boudia also switched events. “So you know how to drive, but driving a truck is just different than driving a sedan and so the same on the events. After earning two medals in Rio, Boudia took 2017 off from diving to sell homes. It’s a new challenge, so it makes it a lot more exciting.”, While in Australia, Boudia climbed up the 10-meter platform and looked around the pool. Once he returned in 2018, he suffered a concussion on a training dive from the 10m platform in February, sparking his switch to 3m springboard. Steele Alexander Johnson (born June 16, 1996) is an Olympic silver medal-winning American diver.He has won multiple national titles at both the junior and college levels. Boudia's move from platform to springboard is a natural progression for divers. David Alasdair Boudia /boʊˈdaɪə/ (born April 24, 1989) is an American diver. If Boudia could offer any advice to his younger self for getting back on track mentally, it would be to open up. While in Rio, Steele won a silver medal with teammate David Boudia for men’s synchronized 10-meter platform diving, and finally opened up for the first time about his memory loss… Unwavering Faith Then, in a February 2018 workout, he lost his position in the air on his favorite dive — a back 3 ½ pike — and smacked the water. However, Boudia soon found he didn’t enjoy being back on the 10-meter platform, where he had won all of his Olympic medals, including the individual gold in 2012. Boudia announced his return to diving in September 2017, then suffered his concussion during training in February 2018. Johnson made his Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games, where he won a silver medal with David Boudia in the men's 10 m synchronized platform diving competition. After taking a break from the sport following a concussion in early 2018, four-time Olympic medalist David Boudia made the switch from platform to 3-meter springboard. Olympic gold medalist and Purdue alum David Boudia is already looking ahead to Tokyo in 2020. ‘But I can tell you weren’t happy with that dive,’ he said. ©2020 United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. “I was pretty miserable in training up on platform for the past year and a half, and since making the switch I actually enjoy going to practice. After winning his third and fourth Olympic medals in 2016 in Rio, Boudia had taken a break from the sport to explore what else life had to offer, only to decide in fall 2017 to make a comeback. reading, video games and hanging out with friends. He decided to miss the 2018 US Championships and the 2018 World Cup to spend time recovering from the injury. The 29-year-old Boudia decided after talking with his wife, Sonnie, that he had to put some things on hold if he was going to make a serious run at qualifying for his fourth Olympics — the Tokyo 2020 Games. Despite the encouragement from his parents, he was always very independent, wanting to figure everything out on his own - but it soon became apparent that this way of living was detrimental. His preparation involves more than just reps in the swimming pool. He won the gold medal in the 10 metre platform diving competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the bronze medal in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. To reach our full potential, we have to dream big but having such high expectations of ourselves can come at a cost. He had an undeniable feeling that “I have no desire whatsoever to dive off this ever again.”. The pair will star in ongoing in-store activations, exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, and a flyaway consumer sweepstakes, bringing to life how to “Refresh the … David Boudia looks up after diving from an 8-meter cliff at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series on July 22, 2017 in Polignano a Mare, Italy. It takes experience and competition.”. Boudia, 29, a former Noblesville resident … 2020 - All rights reserved, What Moves Me | David Boudia: Valuing the journey, Boudia on new goals after diving "head first from a three-storey building", Finals - Men's 10m Platform | London 2012 Replays. Olympic diving champion David Boudia was supposed to be in Tokyo right now. Growing up, he enjoyed a normal childhood in the Midwest. Being open and honest about how he felt allowed him to begin the process of recovery, step by step. When Boudia was 12 years old, a legendary Olympic coach came to his pool. The challenge of the 3m springboard reignited his passion for the sport. It’s more important than ever that we talk about how we feel and seek advice from those around us. David Boudia was feeling sick, worn down and so overwhelmed that he knew it was only a matter of time before he crashed. Four-time Olympic diving medalist David Boudia is missing this week’s national championships and next month’s FINA World Cup, the biggest competition of the year, due to a concussion suffered in a crash off the 10m platform. RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 08: David Boudia and Steele Johnson of the United States compete in … Boudia's journey to Olympic 10m platform gold at London 2012 wasn't just a physical battle, it was a mental one too. by Taylor Brien 14 May 2018, 02:07pm Olympic diver David Boudia has announced via Instagram that he will be taking a break from diving to recover from a concussion. He was diagnosed with a concussion. More than the physical toll, though, Boudia admitted he would have retired without a doubt had he not switched events. “This kind of helps set the road to say I do actually have a very legitimate shot to contend for medals in Tokyo in this event,” Boudia told TeamUSA.org on Thursday, between the semifinals and final at the Gold Coast competition. So when he did just that, dropping from a platform the height of a three-story building only to slam into the water and become concussed, it wasn’t a total surprise for the three-time Olympic diver. While competing there, he won a silver medal in the 10m synchro competition alongside partner David Boudia. His father would make him pre-training breakfast at 6am each day and his mother would drive him to the pool for practice. Throughout this process, he has also learned the importance of finding a balance between work and life to avoid burning out again. His first step back to Olympic diving began by simply communicating that he was struggling to his coach, Adam Soldati, and Boudia’s now wife of 10 years, Sonnie Brand. As a seven-year-old gymnast, David Boudia remembers watching his first Olympic Games, Atlanta 1996, and dreaming of competing on the world stage. 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