Greg Louganis
Swept both Olympic diving events in 1984 and again in 1988.
Gregory Efthimios Louganis (born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic diver who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics on both the springboard and the platform. He is the only man and the second diver in Olympic history to sweep the diving events at consecutive Olympic Games, and he has been called both "the greatest American diver" and "probably the greatest diver in history". Born in El Cajon, California, of Samoan and Swedish descent, he was adopted at eight months old and raised in California.
At 16 he placed second in the tower event at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, behind Klaus Dibiasi, and an American boycott kept him out of the 1980 Moscow Games. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics he struck his head on the springboard during the preliminary rounds and suffered a concussion; he earned the highest single score of the qualifying round with his next dive, repeated it in the final and won the gold medal by 25 points.
Last updated 2026-10-21 from the source article.
Quick Facts
- Full name
- Gregory Efthimios Louganis
- Other interests
- Dog agility
- LGBTQ+ advocacy
- sustainability
- Country
- United States
- Born
- 29 January 1960
- Birthplace
- El Cajon, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Author
- actor
- public speaker
- athlete
- Height
- 5 ft 9 in / 1.75 m
- Event
- Diving: 3 m / 9 ft 10 in, 10 m / 32 ft 10 in
Facts from the source article.
Early life and education
Greg Louganis was born in El Cajon, California, to teenage biological parents of Samoan and Swedish descent. He was placed for adoption at eight months and raised by Frances and Peter Louganis; his adoptive father was of Greek descent. Louganis reconnected with his biological father in 1984 and, with DNA tests and help from half-siblings, found his biological mother in 2017. He began dance, acrobatics, and gymnastics at 18 months after watching his sister’s classes.
By age three, he practiced daily and competed, performing at nursing homes and a naval base. Diagnosed with asthma and allergies, he was encouraged to continue these activities. He later took up trampolining and began diving at age nine after his family got a pool. He attended several high schools, then studied drama at the University of Miami in 1978, transferring to the University of California, Irvine, where he graduated in 1983 with a theater major and dance minor.
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