Steele Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Steele Johnson

Johnson in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Steele Alexander Johnson
Born	(1996-06-16) June 16, 1996 (age 29) Indianapolis, Indiana
Height	6 ft 1 in
Sport
Country	United States
Event(s)	10m, 10m synchro
College team	Purdue University
Club	Boiler Diving Academy
Medal record Men's diving Representing the United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 1 0 FINA Diving World Cup 0 0 1 Total 0 1 1 Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 10 m synchro FINA Diving World Cup Bronze 2014 Shanghai 10 m synchro

Steele Alexander Johnson (born June 16, 1996) is an American diver who won a silver medal at the Olympics. He has won many national titles in diving, both as a junior and in college. Steele made his first Olympic appearance at the 2016 Rio Games. There, he won a silver medal with his diving partner, David Boudia. They competed in the men's 10-meter synchronized platform diving event. Steele Johnson has won six senior national championships with USA Diving. He was also a 15-time junior national champion. Plus, he won four championships at the Junior Pan American Games.

Steele Johnson's Early Life and School

Steele Johnson was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His parents are Bill and Jill Johnson. He has an older brother named Race and a younger sister named Hollyn. Steele finished high school through Laurel Springs School. This is an online school based in Ojai, California.

Steele Johnson's First Dives and Challenges

Steele started diving when he was seven years old.

On January 21, 2009, when he was 12, Steele had a serious accident. He was trying a difficult dive called a reverse 31⁄2 somersault. During the dive, he hit his head on the concrete platform. After falling 33 feet into the water, Steele didn't move until his coach, John Wingfield, helped him. Steele says his coach helped stop the bleeding. He was taken to the hospital and was told he had a minor concussion. Steele returned to diving just one month after the accident. In 2016, he shared that he still had some memory problems from the injury.

In the summer of 2014, Steele Johnson teamed up with David Boudia. David later became his Olympic diving partner. They represented USA Diving at the FINA Diving World Cup. Steele and David earned a bronze medal in the synchronized 10-meter platform event.

Steele Johnson's College Diving Career (2014-2018)

Steele Johnson and David Boudia at the Rio Olympics

Steele Johnson went to Purdue University for college. In 2015, he made history at Purdue. He was the first diver since David Boudia (in 2009) to win NCAA titles. He won both the springboard and platform titles in the same year. Steele also received many other awards that year. These included CSCAA Diver of the Year and Big Ten Diver of the Year. He was also named Purdue Male Athlete of the Year. He was an All-American twice for 1-meter and platform diving. He also received an Honorable Mention All-American for 3-meter diving. Steele was chosen as the Big 10 Diver of the Week eight times in the 2014–2015 season. He was named Diver of the Year for 2015.

Steele took a break from college diving in the 2015-2016 season. He did this to train for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

In December 2016, Steele won a silver medal. This was at the USA Diving Winter National Championships on the one-meter springboard. This win helped him qualify for the 2017 World Aquatics Championships. These championships were held in Budapest, Hungary. During the 2016 season, Steele won a bronze medal on the three-meter board. He also finished in the top four in all three diving events at the Big 10 Diving Championships. Steele set a new record on the one-meter board with 470.05 points. This beat David Boudia's old record. Steele also won his first Big Ten Conference title for platform diving. He scored 547.8 points. He was also named First Team All-Big Ten.

In March 2018, Steele won his fifth NCAA championship. He scored 499.35 points. This was his second win in a row on the three-meter board.

Steele had surgeries in September 2018 and February 2019. These were to fix problems with his right foot. Because of his foot injury and surgeries, he missed his entire college diving season. Steele decided not to use his final year of college diving eligibility. Instead, he chose to become a professional diver.

Steele Johnson's Olympic Diving Career (2016-Present)

At the Olympic trials in June 2016, Steele Johnson and his partner David Boudia set a record. They scored 491.01 points in men's synchronized 10-meter platform diving. This was the highest score ever for an American team. Steele and David then went on to win a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During the Olympics, they stayed in second place through all six rounds of the competition. The gold medal went to Chen Aisen and Lin Yue from China. The bronze medal went to Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow from Britain. Steele and David scored 457.11 points. In the individual 10-meter platform event, Steele finished 13th. His score was 447.85. After the 2016 Olympics, Steele shared that he had competed with a broken foot.

In June 2021, Steele had to pull out of the 2020 Olympic trials. This was due to another injury to his right foot. (The 2020 Olympic Games were moved to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.) Steele was planning to compete in both individual springboard and synchronized diving. When he announced his decision, Steele said his foot had not been healthy for six years. He explained that the pain had become too much to keep pushing through. Steele has not said he will never compete in the Olympics again. He might try for the 2024 Olympics.

Steele Johnson's Professional Diving Career (2019-Present)

In 2019, Steele Johnson started diving with a new partner, Ben Bramley. They teamed up for platform synchronized diving. (Steele's former Olympic partner, David Boudia, decided to switch to springboard diving.) Steele and Ben finished eighth in the 10m synchro event. This was at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, Korea.

Other Work by Steele Johnson

When he was 15, Steele Johnson started posting daily video blogs (vlogs) on his YouTube channel, TheSteeleJohnson. Sometimes, in his vlogs, he talks about his head injury from 2009. In one video, he said that the reverse 3+1⁄2 somersault in tuck position—the dive that almost caused his serious injury—is now his favorite dive to practice. He said, "Something which almost killed me has become the thing I'm best at."

Steele also made his acting debut in a student film. It was called "Blood And Water."

On June 4, 2020, Steele appeared on ABC's game show To Tell the Truth. He was on the show as himself. The show is hosted by Anthony Anderson.

Steele Johnson's Personal Life

Steele Johnson married Hilary Nussbaum in Colorado on June 23, 2017. He is a Christian. Steele has said that his Christian faith helped him understand his 2009 injury.

See also

In Spanish: Steele Johnson para niños