Mindful Memoirs

From near death to ultimate glory

When the 1984 Summer Olympics began in Los Angeles, Greg Louganis was already an Olympic silver medalist and three-time world champion diver. He was the favorite to win gold in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform at the Seoul Olympics, and yet he felt he had something to prove, not to the world but to himself….and his parents.

“It came from a desperate place, that needs to win, “Louganis said.

I am adopted, so I felt like a throwaway kid. I went through lots of challenges and thought, if I can be thrown away once, I can be thrown away again. That was my fear. For me to be loved or worthy of being loved, I had to win.

Louganis, a California native thrived in the comfort of competing in his backyard. Not only did he win gold in both events, he smashed scoring records in each dominating his competition in the process.

DIVE OF DEATH

The three-and-half reverse somersault with tuck – officially known as 307C is one of the most difficult in the sport. It was added to the table of dives in September 1982, and Greg Louganis started working on it immediately. Initially, he stayed on the ground, using a spotting belt – a device used to help gymnasts practice particularly complicated dismounts. Until he had perfected the action.

When it was time for him to first attempt the dive for real, Louganis climbed up to the platform, 10m – a little higher than two double-decker buses above his practice pool and he froze. ‘He wouldn’t go’ his coach Ron O’Brien said. He’d stand on the end of the platform and stand and stand. He wasn’t really happy said O’Brien but he was always a brave strong diver.
The thing about fear is that sooner or later you have to face it down, said Louganis.

At the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Louganis while attempting to qualify for the finals for the 3-meter springboard,
entered his pet Springboard competition.

In 18 years of training and competing, Louganis must have launched off a springboard more than 200,200 times without ever once injuring himself.

But shockingly after eight rounds of heats while attempting a reverse two-and-a-half somersault in pike position he clattered his head on the board as he straightened. Blood flowed from a cut on his head. He received five stitches from a doctor.

‘I jumped off the board and heard this clank he later said that day’.

While Louganis still qualified for the finals based on his earlier dives, he was paralyzed with fear. Nonetheless, Louganis was in a good state of mind to compete in the final the next day.

A pensive Louganis arrived at the competition venue extra early to try and calm himself down.

Whatever he told himself it worked – he led after all but one of the 11 rounds – his nerves only apparent when he repeated the dive that had troubled him the previous day. He still earned a high 76.25 points for that dive.

The competition was just as memorable in a more traditional manner – Louganis was locked in a titanic battle for gold with China’s 14-year-old prodigy Xiong Ni.

Xiong would go to win three diving golds at the 1996 and 2000 games.

Xiong led by three points. Going into the final round Louganis produced a stunning dive for 82.56 points performing a perfect dive to snatch the gold.

Louganis was also haunted by being witness to the death of his Soviet Union rival Sergei Chalibashvil who cracked his skull on the concrete platform while performing at the 1983 World University Games.

Louganis’s effort was dubbed as the ‘Dive Of Death’.

Louganis performed a perfect dive to snatch the gold to score 86.70 points, he won the gold by a margin of just 1.14 points.
He retired immediately after the Seoul Games.

Louganis won the Olympic golds in 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform back to back at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics.
Apart from he has also won 13 world championship diving and 47 National championship diving events.

His place among the greats in the sports always will be permanently etched.