2 U.S. Olympic divers publicly profess their faith on TV: 'My identity is rooted in Christ ... to God be the glory'
The TV reporter thought she was just getting a few words from two young divers who together had just performed a picture-perfect dive and qualified for the U.S. diving team in next month's Rio Olympic Games.
To her surprise, it turned out she was interviewing two ambassadors of Christ!
For American Olympians Steele Johnson and David Boudia, winning gold medals in Rio is great, but it's not everything. They said their true calling is to spread the love of Christ through their chosen sport: diving, according to Q Political.
When the TV reporter asked him about his reaction after winning a place in the U.S. Olympics diving team, Steele answered: "I've been working for this dream for a long time. 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."
And then he dropped the hammer that appeared to have floored the reporter: "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."
The reporter quickly turned to the other Olympian, Boudia, who won the gold medal in the 2012 Olympics in London for his 10m platform.
The reporter must have thought she would hear the usual things that athletes say about their desire to win and their dedication to their sport. But to her surprise, Boudia also publicly professed his Christian faith just as powerfully as Johnson.
"Right before I went up for this last dive, emotions just kind of poured in," Boudia said. "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."
Q Political gathered that Boudia became a Christian in 2010. Since then he has been openly declaring his faith, including before, during, and after the 2012 Olympics.
After winning and qualifying for the U.S.A. Olympic team in 2012, Boudia told reporters: "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."
Whether or not Johnson and Boudia win medals in Rio is beside the point, according to Q Political. "They know their true job is to spread the love of Christ. Fortunately, both men have a huge platform this summer in which people can see God shine through them," the news outlet says.