Before I get into this, I have no information as to whether the kid’s gay, straight, bi or asexual. I have no idea. That’s not the point. In fact, his Facebook page says he’s interested in women, so I’ll take that at face value. But listening to American diver Thomas Finchum in an interview after one of his dives during the Olympic Trials a couple weeks ago certainly – how can I say – perked up my ears. And when I saw him stretching before one of his dives, all that was running through my head was “Strike a pose, there’s nothing, to it, Vogue” . . . well, I had flashbacks to the last Winter Olympics, and I started wondering if we may have found this summer’s Johnny Weir.
The kid’s a total diving stud. He finished second in the platform at the Olympic Trials, he’s won various diving competitions, and he and his buddy David Boudia (his longtime friend and synch-diving partner in Beijing) won the Pan American Games for synch diving last year. And he’s got a great attitude and a great smile. Just like Weir, he’s got an instant fan in me.
Best of luck to the kid, and I do hope he has a fabulous Speedo and some big Grace Kelly sunglasses in store for us this August! –Cyd Zeigler jr.
NBCOlympics.com has a couple videos of him . . .
Finchum talking about barely missing the 2004 Olympic team (when he was 14!)
Finchum’s six 10m dives at the 2008 Trials
Before I get into this, I have no information as to whether the kid’s gay, straight, bi or asexual. I have no idea. That’s not the point. In fact, his Facebook page says he’s interested in women, so I’ll take that at face value. But listening to American diver Thomas Finchum in an interview after one of his dives during the Olympic Trials a couple weeks ago certainly – how can I say – perked up my ears. And when I saw him stretching before one of his dives, all that was running through my head was “Strike a pose, there’s nothing, to it, Vogue” . . . well, I had flashbacks to the last Winter Olympics, and I started wondering if we may have found this summer’s Johnny Weir.
The kid’s a total diving stud. He finished second in the platform at the Olympic Trials, he’s won various diving competitions, and he and his buddy David Boudia (his longtime friend and synch-diving partner in Beijing) won the Pan American Games for synch diving last year. And he’s got a great attitude and a great smile. Just like Weir, he’s got an instant fan in me.
Best of luck to the kid, and I do hope he has a fabulous Speedo and some big Grace Kelly sunglasses in store for us this August! –Cyd Zeigler jr.
NBCOlympics.com has a couple videos of him . . .
Finchum talking about barely missing the 2004 Olympic team (when he was 14!)
