For two of the best divers in the world, winning the gold won’t be their top priority in Rio de Janeiro.
Back on June 23, at the Olympic diving trials in Indianapolis, U.S. diving pair David Boudia and Steele Johnson performed their final dive in the 10-meter synchronized event. As soon as they hit the water, they both knew it was time to pack their bags for Brazil.
As can be seen in the video (featured above), emotion overcame Johnson as he realized he’d qualified for his first Olympic Games. Boudia, who will be competing in his third Olympics, congratulated his teammate — and possibly biggest fan — with a hug.
One NBC reporter then pulled the duo aside to get their thoughts on their qualification for the Olympics. She began with a fairly typical prompt for a sports reporter — “Describe what’s going through your mind” — but the answer she received may not have been what she was expecting.
“I’ve been working for this dream for a long time,” said Johnson, who almost died in a diving accident in 2009. “I honestly never thought the day would come, and I just blinked, and now I’m on the 2016 Olympic team…It’s cool because this is exciting, this is fun, but it’s not what my identity is going to be the rest of my life.”
“Yeah, I’m Steele Johnson the Olympian, but at the same time I’m here to love and serve Christ. My identity is rooted in Christ.”
After Johnson finished his response, the reporter turned to Johnson’s teammate, Boudia, and received a similar answer.
“Right before I went up for this last dive, emotions just kind of poured in,” said Boudia. “And it wasn’t like the last two teams that I’ve made because this guy has come a long way. We can’t take credit for this…To God be the glory, which is why we do what we do day in and day out.”
“We’re just so thankful and there are so many sacrifices that have been made by our coaches, my wife, family…so many. But nothing compares to the sacrifice that we’ve had in eternity.”
To read the full article from Christian Today, click HERE. To view Steele Johnson’s vlogging (video blogging) page on YouTube, click HERE. Johnson and Boudia will begin their Olympic journey on Monday, August 8, for the men’s synchronized 10-meter platform.
