Greg Louganis Bio (Biography)
Real name:
Gregory Efthimios Louganis
Date of birth:
January 29. 1960
Place of birth:
El Cajon, California, USA
Astrology Sign:
Aquarius
Tags:
Biography
Former American diver and Olympic athlete Greg Louganis can thank his adoptive parents, in part, for his success.
His adopted Greek-American family, he said, always encouraged him to follow his passion and compete in the world of diving.
By age 16, he was doing just that and took part in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada where he placed second only to Klaus Dibiasi from Italy in the tower event. Two years later Dibiasi retired and consequently cleared the path for Louganis who won his first world title that year in the same event.
In 1978, he accepted a diving scholarship to the University of Miami where he studied theater, but in 1981 transferred to the University of California where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.
With his previous record, Louganis was considered a favorite to win gold at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He was never to experience that thrill as Americans were not allowed to participating in the Russian event at that time because of the boycot US President Jimmy Carter issued in protest of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
When the games came to Los Angeles four years later, Louganis was more than ready to pounce from the springboard and ended up winning gold medals in the springboard and tower diving events. That same year, he received the James E Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.
In 1994, Louganis surprised much of the world and announced he was gay and went on to compete in the Gay Games.
The following year, Louganis's autobiography entitled Breaking the Surface, was published. In it he revealed he was HIV-positive. Following the announcement, Louganis was dropped by most of his corporate sponsors, with the exception of Speedo, which continues to sponsor him to this day.
Since retiring from competitive diving, Louganis has done some acting, most notably appearing in an off-Broadway production of the Paul Rudnick play Jeffrey. He is also the former boyfriend of former E! television personality Steve Kmetko.
His adopted Greek-American family, he said, always encouraged him to follow his passion and compete in the world of diving.
By age 16, he was doing just that and took part in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada where he placed second only to Klaus Dibiasi from Italy in the tower event. Two years later Dibiasi retired and consequently cleared the path for Louganis who won his first world title that year in the same event.
In 1978, he accepted a diving scholarship to the University of Miami where he studied theater, but in 1981 transferred to the University of California where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.
With his previous record, Louganis was considered a favorite to win gold at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He was never to experience that thrill as Americans were not allowed to participating in the Russian event at that time because of the boycot US President Jimmy Carter issued in protest of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
When the games came to Los Angeles four years later, Louganis was more than ready to pounce from the springboard and ended up winning gold medals in the springboard and tower diving events. That same year, he received the James E Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.
In 1994, Louganis surprised much of the world and announced he was gay and went on to compete in the Gay Games.
The following year, Louganis's autobiography entitled Breaking the Surface, was published. In it he revealed he was HIV-positive. Following the announcement, Louganis was dropped by most of his corporate sponsors, with the exception of Speedo, which continues to sponsor him to this day.
Since retiring from competitive diving, Louganis has done some acting, most notably appearing in an off-Broadway production of the Paul Rudnick play Jeffrey. He is also the former boyfriend of former E! television personality Steve Kmetko.