Louganis, Greg (1960-…), was a champion American diver. Louganis won gold medals in both the springboard and platform events at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games. He became the first male diver in Olympic Games history to win both diving events in consecutive games. During his career, Louganis won numerous national and world championships as well as five Olympic medals.
Louganis was favored to win both diving events in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, but an American boycott of the games prevented him from competing. He won gold medals in the springboard and platform events at the FINA World Championships in 1982, becoming the first diver in a major international meet to receive a perfect score of 10 from each of the 7 judges. FINA, the world governing body for the sport of diving, is now called World Aquatics. Louganis also won gold medals in both events at the 1986 FINA World Championships. In 1984, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) awarded Louganis the James E. Sullivan Award as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.
Gregory Efthimios Louganis was born on Jan. 29, 1960, in El Cajon, a suburb of San Diego, California, to teenage Samoan and Swedish parents. His birth parents placed him for adoption when he was a few months old, and he was raised by Peter and Frances Louganis in California. He began taking diving lessons at the age of 9. Louganis participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics at the age of 16 and won a silver medal in platform diving. He won his first gold medal at the FINA World Championships, in the platform event, in 1978.
In 1988, Louganis tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In 1995, he revealed publicly that he is gay and that he had tested HIV-positive. Louganis told his story in a bestselling autobiography, Breaking the Surface (1995). He also became active in campaigns that defended the civil rights of gay people and people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
During the late 1980’s and 1990’s, Louganis acted in several motion pictures and appeared in theatrical productions. He was a mentor to the United States diving team in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
