Greg Louganis
Diving

Greg Louganis

Olympian 1976, 1984, 1988

  • 4

    GOLD

  • 1

    SILVER

  • 0

    BRONZE

Athlete Bio#

Greg Louganis

Age

65

Hometown

Santa Ana, CA

Education

Santa Ana High School (Santa Ana, Calif.); Valhalla High School (El Cajon, Calif.); Mission Viejo High School (Mission Viejo, California) University of Miami; University of California, Irvine

Personal
Was adopted by Peter and Frances Louganis at 9 months old...Was afraid of heights as a child…Learned to swim in the family pool...Started taking gymnastics at 4 years old and practiced trampoline moves into the pool...His talent for diving was recognized at age 11 by Olympic gold medalist Sammy Lee...Lee coached Louganis for the Olympic Games Montreal 1976...Participated in an off-Broadway drama about an HIV-positive dancer in 1993...Published his autobiography, “Breaking the Surface” in 1995...Married partner Johnny Chaillot in 2013…Returned to diving as a coach for SoCal Divers in 2011.
Olympic Experience
  • 3-time Olympian; 5-time Olympic medalist (4 gold, 1 silver)
    • Olympic Games Seoul 1988, gold (10m Platform - Men, 3m Springboard - Men)
    • Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984, gold (10m Platform - Men, 3m Springboard - Men)
    • Olympic Games Montreal 1976, silver (10m Platform - Men), 6th (3m Springboard - Men)
World Championships Experience
  • Most recent: 1986 – gold (10m Platform - Men, 3m Springboard - Men)
  • Years of participation: 10m Platform - Men 1978, 1982, 1986; 3m Springboard - Men 1982, 1986
  • Medals: 5 (5 gold)
    • Gold – 1986 (10m Platform - Men, 3m Springboard - Men); 1982 (10m Platform - Men, 3m Springboard - Men); 1978 (10m Platform - Men)

Greg Louganis is a five-time Olympic medalist in the three-meter and 10-meter diving events, and he is the first man in Olympic history to sweep the Diving events in consecutive Olympic Games. Born in San Diego, Louganis won a record 47 national titles and 13 world championships throughout his Diving career. He captured his first Olympic medal at the Olympic Games Montreal 1976, placing second in the tower event. Louganis won two titles at the 1982 world championships and was the first person to receive a perfect score of 10 from all seven judges in an international event. He proceeded to win gold medals in both the three-meter and 10-meter events at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984, both with record scores and leads over his opponents. However, at the Seoul 1988 Games, a concussion Louganis sustained during the preliminary rounds of the three-meter event almost dashed his medal hopes. But Louganis competed despite the injury, claiming two gold medals and becoming the first man in Olympic history to sweep the Diving events in consecutive Olympic Games. After his competitive Diving career, Louganis became a LGBTQ+ activist and worked frequently with the Human Rights Campaign to defend the civil liberties of the LGBTQ+ community and those diagnosed with HIV.

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