February 5, 2020

How Did David Boudia Become an Olympic Gold Medalist, Deal with the Post-Olympic Blues, and Still Have it in Him to Pursue Tokyo?

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How Did David Boudia Become an Olympic Gold Medalist, Deal with the Post-Olympic Blues, and Still Have it in Him to Pursue Tokyo?

The Recap

Sam welcomes three-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist, David Boudia. Perhaps the most impressive of David’s Olympic accolades, he was the first American male diver to win Olympic diving gold in the ten-meter platform competition since Greg Louganis in 1988. David has competed in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and plans to compete yet again at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

In this episode, David and Sam discuss fears, obstacles, and other challenges David had to overcome on his Olympic journey. They share some stories from their experiences at the Olympic village. David opens up about how his mindset and attitudes matured throughout his Olympic experience and humbled him to a new level. Finally, David talks about his goals for 2020 and beyond, including his desire to remain in Lafayette, Indiana and pursue a coaching career at Purdue University.

Episode Highlights

01:07 – Introducing today’s guest, David Boudia

01:36 – Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsor, Tumbl Trak and Right Rice

02:28 – Sam and David share their first memories of each other

05:34 – David speaks to his childhood and his dream to be an Olympian

08:06 – Nature vs. nurture

09:36 – The age when David knew he could be an Olympic diver

11:35 – How David overcame fear as a diver

16:19 – Other obstacles and challenges David had to overcome throughout his career

17:37 – The emotional memory of making the Olympic Games in 2008

19:09 – David reminisces on getting to the Olympic Games at a very young age

21:58 – Memories from the Olympic village

26:48 – Lessons David learned from his first Olympic Games

27:57 – The Olympic come down

31:08 – Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsors Tumbl Trak and Right Rice

32:11 – Winning gold at the London Olympic Games in 2012

35:56 – How David approached his professional diving career after the 2012 Olympics

36:55 – How winning medals in 2016 differed from winning gold in 2012

39:29 – David talks about his book, Greater Than Gold

41:01 – David opens up about his mindset between the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games

43:49 – What kept Sam from pursuing another Olympic Games

46:40 – The decision to retire from platform diving and moving to spring board diving

49:48 – The process of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics

52:14 – David’s goals for 2020 and what he hopes to accomplish during the remainder of his career

55:10 – The number one lesson that Sam and David have learned from their respective careers

58:39 – David speaks to his drive and ambition as an elite athlete

1:00:03 – How David defines confidence

1:03:05 – David talks about his real estate career

1:05:36 – David’s plans for post-retirement

1:08:39 – David answers some fan questions

1:11:53 – David reveals one thing people can do to get 1% better each day

1:12:34 – Sam thanks David for joining the show

Tweetable Quotes

“My sole purpose was to dive, and it was to make the Olympic Games. And anyone who got in my way would need to move.”

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“I think you would recognize that there’s a lot of high highs at the Olympics and a lot of low lows. And that was something I didn’t expect. But I was emotional. Your dream comes true and I think it just leaves you raw.”

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“I think the Olympics really matured me and opened my eyes to a world outside David’s world.”

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“And so, for me, retirement was never really in the cards. One, because I was still physically fit; I didn’t have any major injuries. And two, I was still enjoying it. So, I wasn’t even thinking about not diving.”

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“I enjoyed it. It was my job and I enjoyed having the Olympics be my job.”

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“And so that was something that I really missed on my break was that kind of deep pressure and weight on your shoulders. And, I think that’s why Olympians are just nutsos because of that.”

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“I think athletics really set you up for success later in life.”

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“I wanna stay in Lafayette, Indiana the rest of my life.”

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