American former Olympic
diver, considered by many to be the best diver of all-time.
Louganis (DOB: January 29, 1960; San Diego, California) first came burst onto the Olympic scene in 1976, at the young age of 16. In the Summer Olympics, held in Montreal, Louganis won a silver medal in the platform diving event.
Due to the American boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Louganis had to wait 8 years for his chance at the gold. In the 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, Louganis delivered. He won both diving gold medals in impressive fashion. In the platform diving finals, Louganis's 710.91 won by nearly 70 points. Even more impressive, his winning 754.41 in the springboard diving event gave him the gold by more than 90 points.
For his efforts, Louganis was awarded the 1984 James E. Sullivan Memorial Award as the top American amateur athlete.
Louganis struck gold again in both diving events in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. In the platform event, Louganis won by only 1.14 points. However, Louganis's 1988 Games will most be remembered for hitting his head on the diving board during preliminary round dives in the springboard competition. Several days and several stitches later, Louganis won the event.
Louganis retired from diving after the 1988 Olympics, having won a total of 4 golds and 1 silver.
In 1994, Louganis "came out of the closet" at the Gay Games. The next year, he announced publicly to Barbara Walters that he was HIV-positive, something he had known since 1988, before the 1988 Games where he cut his head. This led to a great deal of controversy, as he had not told the doctor who treated his wound in 1988. (Fortunately, the doctor later tested HIV-negative).
In 1999, ESPN's SportsCentury named Louganis as #54 on their list of the 100 greatest North American athletes of the 20th century.