NEW YORK (AP) — David Boudia knows about pressure. He spent the entire Beijing Olympics focusing on his competition — probably a little too much.
He came home empty handed.
After that experience, he let go of the idea of winning medals above all else, and just focused on doing his best at the sport he picked up 11 years ago because his friend’s father won some free lessons at an auction.
He came back from London with two medals clanking around his neck, representing a return to the Olympic success that eluded the United States for two cycles since Laura Wilkinson’s surprise gold in Sydney.
Early on in the Games, Boudia won a bronze in the synchronized platform event with Nicholas McCrory for the first medal by an American man since 1996. Then on Saturday, he upset world champion Qiu Bo of China by less than two points to win his gold on the 10-meter platform.
