Greg Luganis - The Story of a Strong Man

The personality of the four-time Olympic championGreg Luganis causes ambiguous emotions among his colleagues in the sports community, and among ordinary fans. But one thing is certain, this person does not leave anyone indifferent. How did the American jumper get into the water such high results in this discipline, which still can not be repeated by modern athletes.

The beginning of the way

Greg Luganis, whose biography beganquite sadly, was born in 1960 in the American town of El Cajon, California. At the age of 8 months he was left without parents (they abandoned the baby) and only thanks to his foster parents was able to get a full-fledged family.

The people who adopted the boy had Greekroots, hence the surname. In Greg's blood, absolutely different blood flows - Swedish and Samoan. It is difficult to say how the life of the boy would have developed if the adoptive parents did not support him in their striving to go in for sports. One day he came to the pool, and this determined his fate.

Way to the top

Greg Luganis came to the coach, who himselftwice won the Olympic Games in diving. Sammy Lee became the man who laid the foundation for the professional skills of the future illustrious athlete. The next Greg's mentor is Ron O'Brien.

At the age of 16, a young American jumperFirst introduced his country at the Olympics in Montreal (1976). Having won the preliminary round in jumping from the 10-meter tower, he is inferior in the final to the famous Italian athlete Klaus Dibiasi. For the Italian, Montreal's gold was the third in his sports career and shortly after the Olympics he ends his career. Now there is simply no equal to the young Luganis.

1978 brings Greg the first gold award at the World Championships in Berlin. He is much ahead of his closest rivals, and it becomes clear that this young man is a very serious competitor.

New star

Jumping into the water is not in vain considered one of the most dangerous sports, because one awkward movement or error can lead to serious injury, and sometimes even to the death of the athlete.

During the match between the USSR and US jumpers, which took place in Tbilisi, Greg Luganis strikes his head on the rig while jumping and the injured athlete is immediately rushed to the hospital with a broken head.

The 1980 Olympics was the main goal of Luganis,because he really claimed the highest award. Greg Luganis was very upset when he learned that the United States government had decided to boycott the Moscow Olympics. He even wanted to change his citizenship urgently to Greek, the father was a Greek, but he did not have time to draw up all the necessary documents.

But the Olympics in Los Angeles brings him two gold medals, and he becomes the first jumper to which it succeeds, starting in 1928.

Breaking the barriers - the story of Greg Luganis

The 1988 Olympics is becoming the most importantcareer athlete. Greg Luganis is injured, performing a jump of 2.5 turns, and in the blood smashes his head against the tower. He knows that he is HIV-positive, but he hides it from the US team doctor, and from other athletes. The doctor who established this diagnosis was a cousin of Luganis, and he persuaded the athlete not to rush to report his illness, but to do this after the end of the Olympics.

Seoul brought the gold award to the jumper, but along withand put it before a difficult choice. Only 7 years after those competitions, Greg Luganis openly announced his unconventional sexual orientation and said that he was already infected when he performed in Suele.

Many athletes who are in those competitionsthey performed their jumps after Greg's blood got into the water, for a long time could not sleep peacefully, for fear of infection. They condemned the athlete for not telling him about his diagnosis before. And to some extent they were right - no gold of the world costs human lives.

Life after the completion of a career

The result of the athletic career of the American jumpersteel 4 gold Olympic awards, 5 gold medals of the World Championship, 6 championship titles of the Pan-American Games and 47 victories in the US Championships. The list is more than impressive.

But today Greg Luganis, whose photo is oftenappears on the covers of sports magazines, does not sit idly by. Despite his diagnosis and daily struggle for life, he actively participates in the training of young American jumpers into the water. For the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Greg Luganis went as a consultant to the US team.

His autobiography, which he wrote along withEric Marcus, was screened in 1997. The athlete himself was able to fulfill his dream and began to take part in Broadway productions and even starred in small roles in several sports films.

But that's not all hobbies of the four-time Olympic champion. In his spare time, Greg Luganis breeds Jack Russell Terriers.