Thank you to Matt Erickson and Homelife magazine for permission to print this article in our newsletter. I only posted excerpts of the article. Hope you enjoy David's story.
As Olympic diver David Boudia competes in Rio this summer, his platform is the good news of Christ. David Boudia won a gold medal in diving in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He's going for gold again this summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More importantly, David is seeking to live a life of faithfulness to Christ in all that he does. We talked to him about his athletic career. his faith, his family, his new book,m and more.HOMELIFE: How did you get into diving?
DAVID: I watched the '96 Olympic games and decided that I wanted to do what I saw on TV. I wasn't quite sure how I would do it, but I knew I wanted to be an Olympian. I started in gymnastics. I though that was the sport I wanted to try to pursue. But then I got burned out on gymnastics by the age of 11, and found something similar to gymnastics in diving. It was another acrobatic sport where I could try to defy gravity.
HOMELIFE: I'll be honest, diving seems kind of scary, doing multiple somersaults and rotations from so high up. Was that something you took to relatively naturally, or did it take a lot of coaching for you to get used to it?
DAVID: It is scary, even now. And I've been diving since 2000. At practice, if I'm not aware of what I'm doing and my thinking is cloudy, I still get terrified. The sport is a big mind game. Once you get past a certain level where the physical aspect is somewhat conquered, it's more of a mental game.
HOMELIFE: Sticking with the mental game, an article I read talked about how you've learned to focus less on outcomes and more on the process. How has that helped?
DAVID: In 2009, I began focusing more on my journey to the Olympics rather than the destination, as I had in 2008. Going into the 2012 games, I still wanted to win, of course, but I recognized that's not completely in my control. I could control my training, what I put in my body, and how hard I worked, and that's what I focused on. And so when I became more process-oriented instead of destination-oriented, my thinking became a lot clearer, and my performances started to improve.
HOMELIFE: I know the 2008 Games were a big disappointment for you, and you really struggled for a while after that. Can you talk about that dark time in your life?
DAVID: IN 2008, my dream became a reality and I made it to the Olympics. But being on the team wasn't enough. I immediately began chasing after a medal. I thought winning a medal would satisfy me. It became my god. When I came up short, I was absolutely devastated. In September 2009, I came to a breaking point, even entertaining thoughts of suicide. I ended up texting one of my teammates who suggested I talk to our coach. The next night I went over to his house and he shared the gospel in a way I'd never heard before. I grew up in the church. I was religious. But I'd never heard the gospel of Jesus. I started investigating God's Word. I began seeing my depravity, and seeing that I actually do need Someone to save me from myself, and that's when I accepted Christ as my Savior.
HOMELIFE: What's your mindset going into the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro?
DAVID: The goal of winning is still the same. I think every athlete wants to win, and that's a good desire. But going back to what I said earlier, I don't have complete control over the results. I could dive the best I've ever dived and a a competitor could still outperform me on that day. I'm going to focus on doing my best in the six dives I'm competing in, and give the results to the Lord. My job is to be an instrument for His glory, to make Him look good in victory or defeat.
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