Diver David Boudia Back For More In London

Born in Abilene, Texas on April 24, 1989, American diver David Boudia has set his sights on winning gold in the 2012 London Olympics. At only 23 years old, he has been part of the U.S. National Diving Team for seven years and already has one Olympics under his belt. Competing in the 2008 Olympic games that took place in Beijing, in both the 10-meter platform and synchronized 10-meter platform events, Boudia finished 5th for synchronized and 10th for individual. Coming so close to winning gave him that extra push to train even harder for the next four years in preparation for this summer's London Games.

Interestingly enough, Boudia got his start from being a “bouncy” child, according to his mother Sheilagh Boudia. He was always jumping and flipping around, which prompted her to put him in gymnastics, at which he excelled. “They had him on the trampoline doing double flips once and the coach looked at me and said he couldn't believe how fast he was flipping,” she told said. Boudia sees his faith as something that will keep him humble throughout all the fame and money that may come his way, and ultimately wants to use his recognition as an athlete to give back to the community.

Boudia will be competing for a spot in the Olympics with his synchronized diving partner Nick McCrory, but will also be competing in the individual category. Boudia is a 14-time national champion, winning gold at the 2007 Pan American Games, and was named USA Diver of the Year in both 2008 and 2010. During his short career, he has achieved the title of being the “the first American to break 600 points in six dives and [has] also broken the American record for most points on single dive,” according to —LESLIE CHEN