Outsports
Ring Of Honor

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His illustrious career of countless picturesque dives, spanning three Olympic Games over 12 years, is overshadowed by the ninth of his 11 preliminary dives in the 3-meter springboard competition during the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea.

It was that dive, on Sept. 19, 1988, that silenced the world. Greg Louganis, the best diver in the world, had erred in a horrific-looking way.

He cracked his head on the diving board and hit the water with a splat. The defending Olympic champion, attempting a reverse 2½-somersault pike, did not get enough separation from the board.

“As soon as it happened, I told my coach (Ron O’Brien), ‘That is what everyone is going to remember,’ ” Louganis said in a recent interview.

O’Brien looked at looked at Louganis and challenged him: “Then just be sure you win the damn event,” O’Brien told Louganis.

Louganis finished his qualifying dives 35 minutes after suffering a cut that required temporary sutures. Following the preliminary round, Louganis went to the hospital, where he received five stitches. Days later, with the memory of that dive still fresh, Louganis won yet another gold medal, becoming the first diver in history to successfully defend his Olympic springboard title.

“I guess you can tease me about being a drama queen, because that did heighten the drama,” he said, laughing.

Louganis won his first Olympic medal in 1976, a silver on the platform in Montreal. In 1984, at 24, Louganis became the first man in 56 years to win two Olympic gold medals in diving when he captured the platform and the springboard events in Los Angeles.

Louganis is an Olympic icon, truly a legend of worldwide proportions … and not just because he’s gay.

“I have no regrets,” Louganis said by phone from his California home. “People who were close to me – family and friends – they knew about my sexuality. I just did not discuss my personal life, my sexuality with the media. That was my policy. I didn’t make my sexuality an issue because I didn’t want to make it an issue of, ‘The Gay Diver.’ ”

Louganis first publicly acknowledged his sexuality in 1994 at the Gay Games in New York, including his status as HIV-positive. In 1995, during an interview with Barbara Walters, he told the world that he had AIDS.

“My sexuality wasn’t a secret; I definitely gave plenty to read between the lines and there was a lot of speculation. But coming out and going public (with my sexuality) was a process,” Louganis said.

He wrote his autobiography, Breaking the Surface, in 1995. The compelling book was re-released with a new cover earlier this year.

“When I was on my book tour, I had a lot of people come up to me and say, ‘I play a team sport and want to come out, but am not sure if I should,’ ” Louganis said. “Well, unless you’re Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan, you need the full support of your team. If the focus of the team turns to ‘this gay athlete,’ that takes away from what you’re trying to achieve, what the team is trying to achieve.”

So, do you think we’ll ever see an openly gay athlete in one of the four major sports?

“I think we might,” he said.

Louganis will be in Chicago April 22 to co-host “A Night of 100 Champions,” a gala benefit for Gay Games VII, which start on July 15. The event will honor the top U.S. and international sports legends, and top artists, at the Cadillac Club at Soldier Field – the same site for the Opening Ceremony of this summer’s Games.

“I think it will be a great event; it just sounds like it will be a lot of fun,” Louganis said.

Louganis will be joined in the Night of 100 Champions spotlight by such gay sporting legends as Esera Tuaolo, David Kopay, Roy Simmons, Saskia Webber, Graham Ackerman and others.

“I’ve always been a big supporter of (Games founder) Dr. Tom Waddall and the Games as a whole. The concept of building self-esteem in the gay community through sports was something I definitely could relate to,” Louganis said. “When you’re a kid growing up, and you think you’re gay, you know that you’re different; you’re often teased and it can really destroy your self-esteem. But sports can be great for building self-esteem.

“The Games are just a nice, positive way to build friendships, camaraderie and, of course, self-esteem. Plus, the Games are a great opportunity for people to participate in sports who normally wouldn’t.”

Louganis in 2006 wears multiple hats, spending time acting, making public speaking appearances and competing on a national-level in dog agility, the art of guiding your dog through an obstacle course with jumps, tunnels, etc. Louganis was in the finals of the AKC Nationals that aired on Animal Planet.

“I’m doing well; I’m stable, active,” he said.

LOUGANIS …  

ON GAYS IN THE MEDIA:

“We’ve made a lot of progress. Gays in the past have portrayed the villains on TV and in the movies; we’ve never had positive gay actors. Now look at "Will & Grace" and the whole "Brokeback Mountain" story.”

ON "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN:"

“I thought it was nice; I liked it. I still have to see "Crash." I want to see that (movie).”

ON THE WASHCLOTH-SIZED TOWEL USED BY DIVERS TO DRY OFF:

“It’s called a shammy. It takes the water off a lot faster than a towel does and it’s much more efficient because all you have to do is ring it out. Plus, if I used a regular-sized towel, do you know how much space it would take up in your luggage?”

ON AUTOGRAPHS:

“It’s sweet when it comes from kids. It can be a little odd when it comes from adults.” The strangest autograph he’s ever signed was on a woman’s high-heel shoe while at a gala event – “and that was the only thing she had, and just really wanted my autograph.” He refuses to sign body-parts.

Louganis is not into autograph-collector, but does have John Wooden’s signature.

WHY DIDN’T YOU COME OUT BEFORE YOUR FIRST OLYMPICS, IN 1976:

“That probably was a little early. I knew (then that I was gay), but I didn’t know. I had suspicions, but I wasn’t sure. I was only 16. I don’t have any speculation or any idea how my life would have been (had I come out in 1976), mostly because that’s history.”

April 17, 2006