U.S. Olympic medal-winning diver Steele Johnson announced his retirement from the sport.
In a Youtube video on Johnson’s channel, he cited his long-term foot injury as the primary reason for deciding to retire.
28-year-old Johnson has been battling his foot injury for the better part of a decade. He reached many of his greatest career heights, including a silver Olympic medal in the 10m synchro in 2016, while battling the injury. The injury, he said, worsened over time and shows no signs of letting up. He is about to undergo foot surgery for the sixth time.
“I feel like I have a lot left in the tank,” Johnson said about wanting to continue diving. “But my foot is just not doing good.”
Johnson won his first major international medal at the 2014 FINA World Cup with synchro partner David Boudia in the platform event.
The same pair then won silver in the same event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
While diving internationally, Johnson also pursued a collegiate career at diving powerhouse Purdue University from 2014-2018, where he won five NCAA titles.
He opted out of pursuing a spot on the 2020 and 2024 Olympic teams due to his foot injury.
The Olympian has documented his diving career on his Youtube channel for over a decade, where he’s amassed over 40,000 subscribers.
Certainly one of the most emotionally engaging divers I’ve ever seen! His YouTube channel can be a lot of fun, in part, because he’s so unscripted in moments – and his topics cover a lot more than diving. Also, the drama of 2016 and the silver medal are still very much a part of my memories of that Olympics. Finally, he has options, but I suspect he’d be a fine coach.
Congratulations to Steele on a phenomenal diving career, and best wishes for the future.