Olympic Legend Greg Louganis on Outliving and Outperforming Expectations

Death, Sex & Money

Slate Podcasts

Business, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, Careers, Relationships, Sexuality

4.6 • 7.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

During the 1988 Summer Olympics, diver Greg Louganis was competing under extreme pressure. In the preliminary round, he split his head open on the diving board, got stitched up, and decided to stay in the competition. He was also carrying a secret that only a few people knew: six months before the Olympics began, Greg learned that he was HIV positive. Despite those obstacles, Greg went on to win gold in both the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events, thrilling viewers and cementing himself as one of the best divers of all time. With the 2024 Games underway, Greg joins Anna to reflect on his odds-defying victories, and he explains how olympic training prepared him for life's challenges outside the pool. Podcast production by Cameron Drews Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus. And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	When I think about the Summer Olympics, I first think of the athletes who
0:05.2	wowed me as a kid. Mary Lou Retton, a fellow West Virginia earning gold in
0:10.8	1984 in women's gymnastics,
0:13.8	or the poster of the dream team in my bedroom
0:16.0	and their gold in 1992 in men's basketball.
0:19.5	And diver Greg Luganus,
0:21.6	who won two gold medals in 1984 and then in 1988 and a
0:27.4	qualifying round on the springboard something went very wrong.
0:31.3	We're at the diving venue,
0:33.2	Chamsho indoor swimming pool,
0:34.8	the preliminaries of the men's three meter springboard.
0:37.9	In the ninth round of the preliminaries,
0:40.3	Greg Luganus had an accident. We'll watch him in regular speed.
0:45.0	And he hit his head coming past the board,
0:51.0	but then he came right to the surface and came out of the pool.
0:55.5	Then Greg Luganus not only qualified for the final round he went on to win gold in both
1:02.1	the springboard and platform events.
1:04.6	He became a gigantic star considered by many to be the greatest diver of all time.
1:20.6	And seven years later in 1995, Greg revealed that during those 1988 games, he was
1:27.2	HIV positive.
1:29.0	Here's Barbara Walters, prompting him to tell his story.
1:32.2	You hit your head, and there may have been blood in the water.
	...

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