Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis Recounts His "Incredible Journey" in DePauw Speech

April 10, 2000

April 10, 2000, Greencastle, Ind. - "I'm a firm believer that life really is a journey, and it really has been an incredible journey for me," Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis said at DePauw University tonight.

Speaking to a packed house in Kresge Auditorium, Louganis spoke of his successes and his struggles, particularly in coming out as a young athlete.

"I may be a gay man, I may be an HIV positive man -- I'd like to be seen just as a man, but I realize that's rather idealistic and that it is important for me to go out and talk and get to know people and for people to get to know me."

Louganis began diving competitively at the age of 10, and by age 16 was a silver medal winner in the 1976 Summer Olympics. In 1984 he became the first man in 56 years to win two Olympic gold medals in diving by winning both the springboard and platform events. He then won both events in the World Championships in 1986. In the 1988 Summer Olympics, competing against divers half his age, Louganis became the first man to win double gold medals for diving in two consecutive Olympics.

He was awarded the Sullivan Award in 1985 as the nation's most outstanding amateur athlete. At the 1988 Olympic Games, he was awarded the Maxwell House/United States Olympic Committee Spirit Award as the Olympic athlete who had best exhibited the ideals of the Olympic spirit, demonstrating extraordinary courage and contributing significantly to the sport.

In addition to his Olympic accomplishments, Louganis is a six-time world champion and has won a record 47 national championship titles.

Louganis' autobiography, Breaking the Surface, topped the New York Times bestsellers list and was one of the most popular books ever written by an athlete. The autobiography was the basis of a made-for-television movie in 1996.

He told of encounters with readers on his book tours and how he was deeply touched by them. "A lot of people ask me (about) the accomplishment I'm most proud of, and I would have to say the book, because that made a difference. It made a difference in a lot of people's lives, and I think that's what we all want to do."

The speech was followed by questions from the audience. This afternoon, Louganis took part in another question-and-answer session at the Eugene S. Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media.

A video montage of tonight's event is embedded below.