Senior Radio Producer Phil Fleischman contributed to this story. It was a year, many dryland training sessions (think gymnastics with a diving twist) and lots of dives later before Steele attempted the reverse 3 ½ again. “So my mom was always trying to slow me down and put me in lessons so I would be safe about it, but I was pretty rowdy as a kid.”. “When it’s your time, it’s your time. 2016 Olympic silver medalist Steele Johnson returned to competition for Purdue last weekend at the B1G Triple Duals meet hosted by the University of Minnesota. This is the second fatal accident to occur in rural Steele County in a one week’s time. And now serving as brothers in Christ, they don’t have to worry about the superficial stuff, Soldati says. If something didn’t go great, I could still find joy because I’m at the Olympics competing with the best person, the best mentor, just one of the best people to be around.”. It was Jan. 21, 2009. He held the skin of his young diver’s head together, keeping the blood in and the chlorine out. “If I was maybe a centimeter closer to the platform, I could’ve fractured my skull,” he said. The young diver’s coach, John Wingfield, jumped into the pool to save him. He had successfully completed the progressions and even collected some more medals at the 2009 Junior Pan American Games. He tucked and somersaulted in reverse three-and-a-half times, unfolding to pierce the water just in time. I want to reach the world with the Good News by equipping the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association with resources—including personnel, materials, support services, buildings and more—to urgently respond to every opportunity to share Jesus Christ with others. U.S. diver Steele Johnson won a silver medal Monday in Rio de Janeiro with teammate David Boudia for men’s synchronized 10-meter platform diving. Thirty-three staples and a plastic drainage tube later, Steele was discharged from the hospital. “Everything happens for the good of those who love Him, so if I sit back and I look at that situation, yes, that is something I don’t want anyone to ever go through and I hope no one ever has to experience something like that in their life. “I grew up taking Steele to practice when he was 10 years old,” said Boudia, who added the divers reconnected at Purdue under the leadership of Soldati. Yet Steele said he would cringe every time a reporter brought it up. On the morning of July 6, 2013, the Boeing 777-200ER crashed on final approach into San Francisco International Airport. Purdue University diver Steele Johnson and his teammate David Boudia are headed to the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Johnson and Boudia won a bronze medal in the synchronized 10-meter platform. Diver Steele Johnson, owner of a fabulous name, won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics in 10m men's synchronized diving. Soldati, who once told his church that he’s a follower of Christ who happens to be a diving coach, commends Steele for staying engaged in spiritual discipline, especially under the bright lights of athletic stardom. He launched out. “It almost ended my career, too. Instead, Johnson turned any fears and anxieties into motivation, which followed him all the way to the podium. Now, granted the cut was from ear-to-ear and down to his skull, but we say it was a cut because he didn’t fracture his skull. I firmly believe God’s going to call you home when He’s ready to call you home. “It was super cool to see them just be so passionate to someone who just really needed Jesus.”. He landed on his head, which caused his scalp to become “ripped in half,” according to Johnson’s account of the injury in a video posted on the seven-year anniversary of the fall. October 19, 2016. “It’s the classic Romans 8:28: ‘God works for the good of those who trust in Him,’” Steele said. The accident didn’t really change his life, though, until recently, he told BGEA. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Once Wingfield established that Steele’s accident was just that—an accident—he deleted the tape. Johnson feels fortunate to be competing at all. Both divers stressed their identity isn’t wrapped up in winning a medal. “If I was going at a faster rate hitting the water, I could’ve torn more of my scalp open.”. After the incident, Johnson was close to never diving again. There was no traumatic brain injury, no spinal injury. “So it wasn’t a situation beyond his ability or his progression,” Wingfield said. “Diving coaches probably don’t want to hear us call it the headbanger dive, but that is the dive that he banged his head on. A major diving-related head injury almost killed Johnson at age 12, when he struck his head on the concrete platform and his "scalp ripped in half," as The Indianapolis Star reported. Leading into their silver-winning dive, a back 2 ½ somersault 2 ½ twists—Boudia and Steele gave each other a fist bump and got into position on the platform. “I could have stopped diving, I could have gone back to middle school and just been a normal kid and played different sports like football or soccer.”. That accident is ever-present with the Johnsons, who sometimes jokingly call Steele’s reverse 3 ½ the headbanger dive. “It’s not an easy fight, and my thing to Steele all the time is don’t ever think you’ve got this thing under control. Brent began his career in public service over 20 years ago as a volunteer firefighter and EMS medic in Chesterfield County. The entire time, Steele had hidden the fact from almost everyone that he was still suffering side effects from the accident. Earlier this year, the aspiring communications major shared his perspective for the first time on his video blog. Dan Tzur, 60, Killed; 2 Injured in Crash on Stockton Road. He hated talking about it. Suddenly, his head hit the concrete platform. After all, Jill noted, accidents happen in everyday life, too. As an Olympic diver, Steele still sees the world upside down at times, flipping from the platform. Local: 704-401-2432 Minimum price $125, 1 day publication. Sure they’d like to win, but it isn’t all about that. All rights reserved. Though he was lucky to only receive staples in his head, Johnson has since felt the more serious effects from the gruesome injury. He climbed the stairs roughly three stories to the top of the 10-meter platform, which from that vantage point appears almost 5 stories high when you consider the pool below holds 17 feet of water. ©2020 Verizon Media. “He was kind of a daredevil and had no fear.”, “I would always be rugged and rowdy and jumping around the house and doing flips on stuff I shouldn’t flip off of, and I was one to always just jump off high things, hurt myself and get back up and do it again because I thought it was fun,” Steele confirmed in a recent telephone interview with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Part of HuffPost News. He has gained perspective as he has deepened his walk with God. Looking back on Steele’s life and his progression through the sport, Wingfield can’t help but be struck by Steele’s resolve. They have to work up to it, and their degree of dive difficulty also increases as they demonstrate competency. U.S. diver Steele Johnson won a silver medal Monday in Rio de Janeiro with teammate David Boudia for men’s synchronized 10-meter platform diving. “That’s the struggle with the Olympic journey,” Soldati said. It’s not always gonna be that drastic of a change, but just know God’s got a plan and His plan is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son daily.”. “The fact that he’s in the fight—that’s why I would say he’s doing well.”. United States' silver medalists Steele Johnson, right, and David Boudia, left, pose with their medals after the men's synchronized 10-meter platform diving final in the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. At one point during the year, Soldati said Steele apologized to his teammates for being inconsiderate of their NCAA needs as he chased Rio. MODESTO, Calif. (August 1, 2018) — Robert Steele, 66, of Modesto and Rhiana Beasley, 24, of Oakdale, were among four injured in a head-on crash Monday night at Highway 108 (Patterson Road) and Skittone Road near Riverbank, according to a report by the Modesto Bee. Deadlines. “He’s incredibly focused. We consider him very fortunate, very blessed, and we had to sit on him to keep him off the diving board for a couple months.”. His parents signed him up. Steele Johnson, an Olympic silver medalist and 5-time NCAA diving champion from Purdue University, has announced he will forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility to turn pro. They hugged and Steele teared up as he hugged Soldati, who had been watching nearby. They know each other. After winning his silver medal, Johnson talked about how easy it could have been for him to walk away from the sport he loves. He revealed in the video that he has since struggled with his memory, both short- and long-term. Wingfield doesn’t like to talk about the accident. The doctors didn’t need to keep him overnight for observation because all he had was a cut and a minor concussion. “When something like that happens in your life, a near-death experience, you don’t know where you’re going to be going with your life,” Johnson told Team USA reporter Rebecca Harris. I had to think about what happened and had we done everything right and was this a skill he should or shouldn’t have been doing?”. Luckily, Johnson only sustained a minor concussion as a result of the accident. “But when he said he wanted to go on, that’s when we had to look at each other and say, ‘OK, we said if our kid is going to get severely injured or possibly die we’d rather it happen while doing something he loves rather than live a life of regret, because anything can happen,” Jill said. I’m not happy. They knew going in that he could get hurt even with proper training. “John Wingfield saved Steele’s life. In fact, he has declined interviews about it up until this point. The Johnsons watched Steele from the stands in Rio and celebrated wildly over his performance. “With the amount of blood that I lost, it’s likely that I could’ve died,” Johnson said in his video. She was equally proud when Steele scored 13th individually. That moment almost changed the trajectory of his life as well as the life of his young diver. “That’s our way of coping with the stress,” Jill said. “I remember my husband would turn him upside down and he would giggle, and I would say, ‘Turn him right-side up! Permissions The Steele Johnson Story: Olympic Silver Medal Was No Accident, Listen to Steele share more of his story with Billy Graham Radio. “We are fortunate,” Jill said. By his second birthday, he was jumping comfortably off the diving board with his parents nearby yelling, “Kick your feet” so the tiny tot would get to safety. I was too caught up and wanted my own way. In 2016, Johnson revealed that he still suffered from short- and long-term memory loss due to the accident. Remembering the incident during a phone call recently, Wingfield paused to collect himself upon learning what Jill said. I have no joy, and I know that is really going to come from Jesus. Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter, Sports Department Intern, The Huffington Post. The diver was immediately taken to a hospital, where he received staples in his head, but was not required to spend the night. The most recent stop on their journey was Rio, where Boudia and Steele claimed a silver medal in the synchronized diving event. Steele’s skill level wasn’t the issue. “All of the things that could have happened, he walked away with a cut and a minor concussion. Then, the moment to glorify God on an international stage arrived: the post-dive interview. The blood’s rushing to his head!'”. In February 2015, a stress fracture was found in his right foot. How Growing Up With Two Dads Shaped This Diver’s Olympic Dreams. A year before Steele came to terms with his accident, the Purdue freshman also had a spiritual realization. Steele Johnson Almost Died Diving — Now, He's Won An Olympic Medal Doing It. “The fact that I was going into this event knowing that my identity is rooted in Christ and not what the result of this competition is just gave me peace,” Steele told NBC reporter Kelli Stavast after competing in his first Olympic event. Steele’s parents attended a Billy Graham Crusade in Indianapolis, and Jill’s parents even volunteered for one in Amsterdam. Contact Us. He didn’t figure it out until he got to college. “And that’s when we said, ‘Yeah we did.’”. Steele Johnson proves acting chops in ‘Blood and Water ... played by Johnson, as he suffers a horrific accident at practice and struggles to get back on … The injury nearly cost him his life. But when stuff like that does occur, it is for the good of His people in some way or another. Meet Simone Biles, America’s New Gymspiration, Ibtihaj Muhammad Didn’t Win A Medal, But She Still Scored An Olympic Victory. They sat down Steele, his head full of staples, and said simply, “You don’t have to do this.”. If something went great, I was happy. This man, Bill Johnson, used to tell funny stories about this and that, but mostly, he talked about his son, Steele Johnson, the young Carmel-bred diver from Purdue who will be going to the Rio Olympics in a few short weeks.Steele, he would tell me and anybody else within earshot, was the real deal, a diving star who would stand astride the diving world as one of the sport’s elite. “Yes, he does impress the girls, and he is diving as safely as he can, but then he almost killed himself doing it, too, so you really can’t plan.”. According to the Washington Post, Johnson was back on the diving platform a mere month after the incident. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) “It becomes so strong and so captivating.”. He preferred the freedom of water wings to the captivity of the inflatable baby raft. “Our job is to be able to go in there and do what it takes to give Him glory, so whether that’s us accomplishing a silver medal or getting sixth place, we have an opportunity to be able to proclaim Him.”. “I reached out to them, and they just poured so much of their time, energy, heart and soul into me,” said Steele, who won two NCAA championships his freshman year at Purdue. Add your voice! He opened up about the accident in the above video and a … Steele Johnson has faced a great obstacle that most people would automatically view as a career-stopper. “[Steele] started to see that the road that he was going on was not satisfying. Faith is important to his former coach and his parents. Steele, steadfast in his faith, opens his college season this weekend when Purdue hosts a home meet. Initially, they wanted to keep him safe, give him a high school sport and, OK, maybe help him impress the girls along the way. The show, which was rebooted in 2016 after its initial airing in 1956, is hosted by Anthony Anderson. Steele Johnson's childhood in photos, from his freak diving accident to goofing around with his brother and snorkeling. He continued to work on his dive and continued in his sport, earning national titles and continuing to dive as a student at Purdue University. Steele wasn’t quite a year old when his parents first had him in the neighborhood pool. Wingfield immediately reviewed the tape from that day and confirmed it was just a fluke. For Johnson, it was the final step to overcoming a horrific head injury he endured seven years earlier while practicing his diving. However, Johnson would not let the injury destroy his love for diving. Why Police Officers Unflinchingly Answer the Call, Will Graham Encourages Law Enforcement at Appreciation Dinner, Virtual Christmas Conference Uplifts Spanish-Speaking Pastors, An Interview With Retired Army Ranger Edward Graham, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 Steele Johnson almost died on the diving platform. Steele’s parents haven’t seen the footage and don’t want to. “More importantly, when we do pray, Adam Soldati, our coach, really leads it but we want to be able to go into this competition and just be a vehicle for God’s glory,” Boudia said. Privacy BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Toll Free: 1-877-247-2426. Home The dive took only seconds to complete and soon enough, the Boilermakers were toweling off, watching their 95.04 score appear. Twelve-year-old Steele, with a host of medals to his name and a strong, stubborn work ethic, had shown that he was ready for the reverse 3 ½. He brings with him a focus and an eye cast toward Tokyo 2020. “There’s certainly a flood of emotion that goes through me,” said Wingfield, a professing believer who strives for a Christ-centered environment for his athletes. And You put me here and it’s OK?’, “How did he handle it? “It gave me ease, and it let me enjoy the contest. They trained together. And it was forcing us to say, did we really mean this? Prayer is central for Boudia, Steele and Soldati, and Rio was no different as they huddled before and sometimes after a competition. This year, Steele returns as a captain of the Purdue men’s swimming and diving team. Something else important to point out is divers don’t start their careers on the 10-meter platform. This event wasn’t a story for him; it was real life. In the summer of 2014, with his future Olympic diving teammate, David Boudia, Johnson represented USA Diving at the FINA Diving World Cup. And he wants to glorify Him in whatever he’s doing. “The amount of growth that that kid has had in the past six months has been just so cool to see God wanting to change his desires in what he wants to worship, and it’s been really neat to be able to be on this journey with him.”. Johnson explained in his video that Wingfield had to hold Johnson’s head together to prevent him from bleeding out and from chlorine seeping into the wound, which could have caused brain damage. Once Wingfield established that Steele’s accident was just that—an accident—he deleted the tape. They’re free to be completely honest with one another, which is liberating because standing atop a platform 33 feet in the air in nothing but a speedo can be mind game enough. He came out and had a smile even though we knew he wasn’t thrilled.”. He took a deep breath like he’s trained to do and launched out. “Many people would have quit right then, and Steele had a greater meaning and a greater purpose for what he wanted to accomplish. The pain was manageable, so he put off potential surgery. Johnson told Team USA reporter Rebecca Harris. Steele Johnson's childhood in photos, from his freak diving accident to goofing around with his brother and snorkeling. Steele, being the amazing diver that he is, had this horrible accident and now the reverse three and a half is his favorite dive. I just need to figure out what that looks like.’”. “We kind of looked at each other and I said, ‘You’re ready,’” Wingfield recalled. “It was truly an accident.”. But we will also tell you that he was very fortunate. By Steele, as durable and tough as his given name implies, leans not on a concept of faith, but an actual relationship with his Savior Jesus Christ. 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