Greg Louganis

Greg Louganis , born the January 29th 1960, is old a plunger American.

World champion of springboard to 3 meters in 1982 and 1986, and of high-flight in 1978, 1982 and 1986. Quadruple Olympic champion of springboard to 3 meters and high-flight in 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1988 (Seoul). It had already earned Olympic money in 1976 with Montreal on the springboard with 3 meters.

The American Greg Louganis is regarded as the largest plunger of all times. After having gained the Olympic money in dive of high flight in 1976 at the 16 years age, it misses the Plays of 1980 because of the boycott but returns to gain doubled the springboard and high flight so much in 1984 qu ' in 1988. Its victory of 1988 with the springboard is charged with electricity, when it is qualified although it struck the board with the head at the time of the last but one dive of qualification. Louganis also gains the two titles at the time of the Championships of the world of 1982 and 1986, after having gained the high flight in 1978. The boycott of 1980 most probably prevented Louganis from gaining doubled dive at the time of three consecutive editions of the Olympic Games, which would have constituted a record without precedent. Of origin Samoan and European, he studies the ballet dancing during long years, which gives to its performances their elegance and their art characteristics. Its superiority on its contemporaries is considerable, and it holds many records for the highest notes ever obtained in competition. Alas, with the beginning of the year 1990, Louganis announces its seropositivity, and even announces that it was already HIV positive at the time of the Olympic Games of 1988 when it had knocked the head against the springboard.

It became one of the spokespersons of the fight against the AIDS A few weeks before the Olympic Games, Louganis had learned the news from its seropositivity. It reveals it only in 1995, specifying that it had taken care that nobody touches it at the time when it left the swimming pool to Seoul. In 1994, it had already revealed its homosexuality while taking part in the Gay Games. That makes of it an icon at the same time for the homosexual community and the HIV positives, more especially as it engages for the recognition of their rights at the time of conference and television programs. It is often quoted like one of the dyslexiacs having succeeded, at the sides of Spielberg, Agatha Christie and Einstein. Its biography " Breaking the surface" tell as for it its combat against the prejudices and the disease.

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