JANUARY 29, 1960

AMERICAN SAMOAN OLYMPIC DIVER GREG LOUGANIS BORN

Born in El Cajon, California (Cal), adopted as an infant, Greg started diving at age 9. In 1976, he won Olympic Silver in the platform (PLF) event. Greg graduated from University of Cal, Irvine in 1983. Medals: 1979 Pan Am Games—Gold in Springboard (SPB) & PLF; 1982 World Aquatic Championships (1st perfect diving score); 1983, 3-metre SPB records (99-point dive & 755.49-point total); 1984 & 1988 Olympics, Gold, 3-metre SPB & 10-metre PLF. The 1988 medals followed hitting his head on the diving board needing stitches. Totals: 47 national & 13 world championships. In the 1990s, he announced that he was gay and had AIDS. Greg has appeared in TV shows, movies, Off-Broadway productions, and co-wrote his 1996 autobiography, Breaking the Surface. In 1999, he published For the Life of Your Dog. Awards: James E. Sullivan Award, AAU (1984); “Athlete of the Year,” ABC’s Wide World of Sports (1988). Halls of Fame: International Swimming (1993); California Sports (2013); and National Gay and Lesbian Sports (2013).

Sources:

Amy Tikkanen, ed., “Greg Louganis, Biography, Olympics, Diving Accident, & Facts, Britannica.  Retrieved 8/22/2022, Greg Louganis | Biography, Olympics, Diving Accident, & Facts | Britannica

Wikipedia

Photo:  Alan Light, undated. Permissive Use pursuant to Creative Commons license.