Greg Louganis facts for kids
Louganis in 2022
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| Full name | Gregory Efthimios Louganis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 29, 1960 El Cajon, California, U.S. |
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| Occupation | Author, Actor, Public Speaker, Athlete | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other interests | Dog Agility, Activism, Sustainability | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United States |
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| Event(s) | Diving: 3 m, 10 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Mission Viejo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Ron O'Brien (1978-1988) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1988 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Gregory Efthimios Louganis (born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic diver. He won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics in both the springboard and platform events. He is the only man in Olympic history to win both diving events in two Olympics in a row. Many people call him "the greatest American diver" and "probably the greatest diver in history."
Contents
Early Life and Training
Louganis was born in El Cajon, California. He is of Samoan and Swedish heritage. When he was a baby, he was adopted and raised by Frances and Peter Louganis. His adoptive father was of Greek descent.
He began taking dance, acrobatics, and gymnastics classes when he was just 18 months old. By age three, he was already competing and performing for audiences. As a child, he had asthma and allergies. His doctors encouraged him to continue dance and gymnastics to help with his breathing.
When he was nine, his family got a swimming pool, and he started taking diving lessons. He attended several high schools in California, including Santa Ana High School, Valhalla High School, and Mission Viejo High School.
In 1978, he went to the University of Miami to study drama and continue diving. He later transferred to the University of California, Irvine, where he graduated with a degree in theater and a minor in dance in 1983.
Diving Career
As a young diver, Louganis was coached by Sammy Lee, who was a two-time Olympic champion himself. Louganis quickly showed his talent to the world.
First Olympics and World Title
At age 16, Louganis competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He won a silver medal in the 10-meter platform event, finishing just behind the Italian champion Klaus Dibiasi. Two years later, Louganis won his first world championship in the same event. By then, he was working with coach Ron O'Brien.
Olympic Gold Medals
Louganis was expected to win two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. However, the United States led a boycott of the games, so he could not compete. Years later, he and the other athletes received a special Congressional Gold Medal.
At the 1982 World Championships, he became the first diver ever to get a perfect score of 10 from all seven judges in a major competition.
At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Louganis amazed everyone. He won gold medals in both the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events with record-breaking scores. He won two more world championship titles in 1986.
The 1988 Seoul Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul were very dramatic for Louganis. During the preliminary rounds of the springboard competition, he hit his head on the board. He suffered a concussion but bravely decided to continue.
He not only completed the preliminary round but also performed his next dive so well that he earned the highest score. In the finals, he repeated the same dive that caused his injury and won the gold medal.
In the 10-meter platform final, he won another gold medal on his very last dive. It was a close competition, but his amazing performance secured the victory. His comeback earned him the title of "Athlete of the Year" for 1988 from ABC's Wide World of Sports.
Health and Head Injury
Six months before the 1988 Olympics, Louganis was diagnosed with a serious illness called HIV. When he hit his head on the diving board, he was worried about the safety of others because he bled into the pool.
However, health experts later confirmed that there was no risk to anyone. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the large amount of water and the chlorine in the pool would have killed any virus. Other doctors explained that the virus cannot infect someone just by touching their skin.
Life After Diving
After retiring from diving in 1988, Louganis stayed busy with many different activities.
Coaching and Mentoring
In 2010, Louganis began coaching divers of all ages at the SoCal Divers Club in Fullerton, California. He also served as a mentor for the U.S. Olympic diving team at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, sharing his knowledge with a new generation of athletes.
Acting and Television
Because he studied theater in college, Louganis also pursued acting. He appeared in several movies, including D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994) and Watercolors (2008). He also acted in plays and appeared on television shows. In 2012, he played himself in an episode of the comedy series Portlandia. He has also been a judge on diving shows like Splash.
Books
In 1996, Louganis wrote a bestselling book about his life called Breaking the Surface. In the book, he shared many personal stories about his life's challenges. He also co-wrote a book about caring for dogs, called For the Life of Your Dog.
Dog Agility Competitions
Louganis is a big animal lover and began competing in dog agility competitions after he retired from diving. He has owned several dogs, including champion Jack Russell terriers. He is a self-described "huge Harry Potter fan" and named some of his dogs Gryffindor (Gryff), Dobby, and Hedwig.
Activism and Charity Work
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Louganis is an advocate for HIV awareness and has worked with groups like the Human Rights Campaign. He also supports other causes. He is on the board of directors for the American chapter of a charity founded by Princess Charlene of Monaco.
In 2023, Louganis decided to auction three of his five Olympic medals. The money raised was to help the Damien Center, a service center in Indiana for people affected by AIDS. He said that his medals are part of history, and he wanted to share them to help a community in need.
Awards and Honors
- 1984: Received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the U.S.
- 1988: Named "Athlete of the Year" by ABC's Wide World of Sports.
- 1991: Inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
- 2013: Inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame.
- 2015: Honored by the University of Toronto for his work in educating people about important social issues.
- 2016: Featured on a special "Legends" series of Wheaties cereal boxes.
- 2017: Served as a Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.
See also
In Spanish: Greg Louganis para niños
- World Fit
