David Alasdair Boudia (/boʊˈdaɪə/; born April 24, 1989)[1] is an Americandiver. He won thegold medal in the10 metre platform diving competition at the2012 Summer Olympics and thebronze medal in thesame event at the2016 Summer Olympics. He also won a bronze medal withNick McCrory in themen's synchronized 10 metre platform at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in thesame event withSteele Johnson at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
 Boudia at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | David Alasdair Boudia |
| Born | (1989-04-24)April 24, 1989 (age 35) Abilene, Texas, U.S. |
| Home town | Noblesville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Event(s) | 10m, 10m synchro |
| College team | Purdue University |
| Club | National Training Center |
| Partner | Steele Johnson |
| Formerpartner(s) | Nick McCrory,Thomas Finchum |
| Coached by | Adam Soldati, John Wingfield |
Medal record | |
Early life
editBorn inAbilene, Texas,[2][3] Boudia's parents are Jim and Sheilagh Boudia. He graduated fromNoblesville High School in 2007, and attendedPurdue University.[4] He resides inWest Lafayette, Indiana.[5]
He started diving in 2000, and has been a member of the U.S. National Diving Team since 2005.[5] Boudia once stated that a dive from the great height of an Olympic 10-meter platform once 'petrified' him.[6]
Diving career
edit
Boudia was named to the2008 U.S. Olympic team in the 10-meter platform and in the synchronized 10-meter platform event with former synchro partnerThomas Finchum. Boudia and Finchum were 2009 World Championship (Rome) Silver Medalists, and 2007 World Championship (Melbourne) Bronze Medalists. With his past synchro partner,Nick McCrory, they achieved bronze medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
He is the winner of the Big 10 Male Tower Diving event at the Big Ten Tournament, held in 2010 at Ohio State. He is the inaugural American to break 600 points in six dives.[citation needed]
2012 Summer Olympics
editIn his first event at the2012 Summer Olympics, Boudia and his partner,Nicholas McCrory, won the bronze in thesynchronized 10 metre platform with a combined score of 463.47, finishing behind China (486.78) and Mexico (468.90).[7] The United States did not medal in men's divers at the1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics; at the next two Olympiads of 2004 and 2008, no men's divers made the podium in diving.
In his second event, the10 metre platform, Boudia barely advanced from the prelims placing eighteenth but then went on to finish third in the semi-finals to advance to the finals. In the sixth and last round, Boudia won gold with a total score of 568.65, finishing ahead of world championQiu Bo (566.85) and hometown favoriteTom Daley (556.95).[8] It was the first Olympic gold for the United States in diving since the2000 Summer Olympics, whenLaura Wilkinson won the gold in the women's 10-meter platform competition; the first Olympic gold in the 10-meter platform competition by an American male diver sinceGreg Louganis achieved that feat at the1988 Summer Olympics (also taking the 3-meter springboard title); and the first Olympic diving gold for an American man sinceMark Lenzi's victory in the 3-meter springboard competition at the1992 Summer Olympics.
2016 Summer Olympics
editBoudia partnered withSteele Johnson in thesynchronized 10-meter platform dive at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. They won a silver behind the Chinese pairChen Aisen andLin Yue.[9]In theindividual 10 metre platform event, Boudia won a bronze.[10]
After the Olympics, Boudia took a break in 2017 from international competition before making a decision on whether to retire or return for a fourth Olympics.[11] He chose to return in fall 2017 and go for a fourth Olympics in 2020. However, in February 2018, he suffered a concussion due to an error during training that caused him to crash into the water hard, after which he experienced blackouts and dizziness.[12]
Boudia decided to switch event from 10m platform to 3m springboard following the concussion.[13] At the2019 World Championships held inGwangju, Korea, Boudia participated in the3m springboard event, but only managed to finish 5th.[14]
Television
editIn November 2012, Boudia agreed to join Steve Foley as a judge onSplash.[15] This reality show premiered on ABC on March 19, 2013.[16]
Book
editBoudia wrote an autobiography,Greater Than Gold, published byThomas Nelson in 2016.[17][18]
Personal life
editBoudia became aChristian in 2010 through the influence of his college diving coach Adam Soldati.[19] He openly referenced his religious beliefs in several interviews before, during, and after the 2012 Olympics.[20]On October 12, 2012, Boudia married Sonnie Brand, whom he met while studying at Purdue University.[21] In October 2014, Boudia and his wife welcomed their first child, Dakoda. On August 24, 2017, Boudia announced the birth of his second daughter, Mila Primm Boudia. On April 22, 2019, Knox Boudia was born, giving David his first son.[22]
Major competition results
editSummer Olympics
- 3rd 10m Platform 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 525.25
- 2nd Synchronised 10m Platform 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 457.11
- 1st 10m Platform 2012 London, GBR 568.65
- 3rd Synchronized 10m Platform 2012 London
- 5thSynchronised 10m Platform2008Beijing, CHN 440.64
- 10th10m Platform2008Beijing, CHN 441.45
World Championships
- 2nd10m Platform2011Shanghai, CHN544.25
- 2ndSynchronised 10m Platform2009Rome, ITA456.94
- 3rdSynchronised 10m Platform2007Melbourne, VIC, AUS463.56
- 5thSynchronised 10m Platform2011Shanghai, CHN420.69
- 6th10m Platform2009Rome, ITA491.80
World Series
- 1stSynchronised 10m Platform2012Tijuana, MEX453.57
- 2nd10m Platform2012Tijuana, MEX543.25
- 2ndSynchronised 10m Platform2012Moscow, RUS448.32
- 2ndSynchronised 10m Platform2011Guanajuato, MEX437.10
- 2nd10m Platform2010Veracruz, MEX528.00
- 3rd10m Platform2012Moscow, RUS518.40
- 3rd10m Platform2012Dubai, UAE521.60
- 3rd10m Platform2011Sheffield, GBR534.55
- 3rdSynchronised 10m Platform2009Mexico City, MEX421.08
World Cup
- 1stTeam Event2010Changzhou, CHN455.35
- 4th10m Platform2012London, GBR501.10
- 4thSynchronised 10m Platform2012London, GBR444.93
- 4thSynchronised 10m Platform2010Changzhou, CHN448.89
Grand Prix
- 1stSynchronised 10m Platform2010Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA461.19
- 1stSynchronised 10m Platform2009Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA457.26
- 3rdSynchronised 10m Platform2011Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA438.51
References
edit- ^"David Boudia".Biographies. USA Diving. Archived fromthe original on November 27, 2013. RetrievedJuly 27, 2012.
- ^"David Boudia". USA Diving. Archived fromthe original on September 16, 2013. RetrievedAugust 11, 2012.
- ^Crawford, Bryan (July 26, 2012)."USA Diving: David Boudia Has A Great Chance To Medal In London".SB Nation. RetrievedJuly 27, 2012.
- ^"Men's Swimming and Diving". Purdue University. RetrievedAugust 6, 2012.
- ^abDavid BoudiaArchived March 2, 2015, at theWayback Machine USA Diving. 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015
- ^"2012 London Games: David Boudia dives into U.S. Olympic history".Washington Post. RetrievedAugust 12, 2012.
- ^Another medal for Team USA as Boudia and McCrory win bronzeArchived August 3, 2012, at theWayback Machine, USADiving.org, July 30, 2012
- ^"David Boudia of the U.S. Claims Diving Gold. Is China's Dominance on the Wane?".Time. August 11, 2012.
- ^Woods, David (August 8, 2016)."Divers David Boudia, Steele Johnson take silver in synchro".USA TODAY.
- ^Park, Alice (August 20, 2016)."U.S. Diver David Boudia Earns Bronze in 10m Platform".Time.
- ^Zaccardi, Nick (February 23, 2017)."David Boudia takes international season off, to decide whether to retire".NBC Sports.
- ^Woods, David (May 14, 2018)."David Boudia's 'crash' adds another obstacle in comeback from suicidal thoughts, drug use".IndyStar.
- ^Zaccardi, Nick (November 20, 2018)."David Boudia changes diving events after concussion".NBC Sports.
- ^"No medal for David Boudia as China extends perfect run at diving worlds".NBC Sports. July 18, 2019.
- ^Goldberg, Leslie (November 29, 2012)."Olympian David Boudia to Judge ABC's Celebrity Diving Series (Exclusive)".The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^Whiteside, Kelly (January 9, 2013)."Olympic divers mix with celebs on reality TV shows".USA Today.
- ^Greater Than Gold.
- ^Greater Than Gold: From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption
- ^David Boudia (September 17, 2012)."David Boudia's Testimony: "More Desirable than Gold". faithlafayette.org. RetrievedSeptember 20, 2012.
- ^Chad Bonham (July 19, 2012)."A conversation with U.S. Olympic gold medalist diver David Boudia – Inspiring Athletes". Blog.beliefnet.com. RetrievedAugust 22, 2012.
- ^"David Boudia marries Sonnie Brand". Archived fromthe original on December 6, 2013.
- ^"David Boudia". Archived fromthe original on November 27, 2013. RetrievedAugust 11, 2012.
- "diving.about.com biography". Archived fromthe original on June 26, 2008. RetrievedJuly 9, 2008.
- "Report on Olympic Diving trials".Chicago Tribune. June 22, 2008. Archived fromthe original on August 17, 2008. RetrievedJuly 9, 2008.
- "David Boudia Profile". divemeets.com. RetrievedJuly 9, 2008.
- "Q & A with David Boudia". Noblesville Daily Times. April 9, 2007. RetrievedJuly 9, 2008.
