WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on the Olympic diving trials at IUPUI.
Olympic gold medalist David Boudia will join the Purdue University swimming and diving staff as a full-time assistant coach.
Boudia will obviously have a focus on the divers. He will work alongside his former coach Adam Soldati, who has been coaching at Purdue since 2005. Boudia has previously worked as a volunteer assistant coach at Purdue.
"Purdue Diving has a history of greatness in large part due to Adam Soldati," Boudia said. "I am looking forward to standing beside him as we work to continue this legacy, coaching our divers to reach their greatest potential. I'm excited for this opportunity to remain an active part of the excellence at Purdue."
A three-time Olympian on 10-meter, Boudia won a pair of medals at the Olympic Games in London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016). His gold medal in 2012 was the first by an American man in the event since Greg Louganis in 1988. Four years later, he teamed with Boilermaker Steele Johnson to win silver in synchronized 10-meter. Boudia also won bronze in both London (synchro) and Rio (individual).
Boudia missed a spot on the Olympic team in June when he finished third, just five points short of making the team. Andrew Capobianco of Indiana University and the youngest member of the Olympic team, 17-year-old Purdue recruit Tyler Downs, earned the trip to Tokyo.
"David's success at the NCAA and Olympic levels has had a positive impact on everyone at the pool," Soldati said. "As a fulltime coach and staff member with us now, he can continue to inspire and instruct everyone as we work to sustain our level of excellence. I've been successful in guiding our divers into positions where they can flourish and perform at a high level. But David can share with them what it's like to actually compete at the elite levels. That will only help us get better in the years to come."
Boudia's four Olympic medals are tied for second most by any American diver, just one shy of Louganis' record five.