Greg Louganis. Greatest diver ever. Four-time Olympic gold medalist, 13 championships. Tough childhood, tough time coming out sexually, tough accident, tough time financially — still, he never drowned. His story “Back on Board” is on HBO Tuesday night.
“I was adopted as a child. Half-Samoan, I was darker than anybody in school. I felt different. And at a young age, a gay kid who didn’t know what gay was.
“Solace was in sports. Knowing nothing about diving, I joined a team. In 1 ¹/₂ years I was doing acrobatics. Recitals. By age 6, competing. I didn’t think I was good enough but my dream was the Olympics.
“In ’76, I toured with Bruce Jenner. No idea he was working out his own problem. I only knew around him, you couldn’t get a word in edgewise. We athletes shared portions of ourselves, but being gay was no topic of conversation. You needed a sense of confidence to really share.”
Tell me about the accident.
“Seoul, Korea. 1988. Six months before my HIV diagnosis. I hit wrong. I crashed into the water. Hurt, embarrassed, fearful, confidence swept away, only 22 minutes before another dive, my coach — who molded me and I couldn’t have done it without him — asked what to do. I said, no matter what, I’m going for it. This second dive was the highest scoring of the Olympics.”
Idolatry gave way to news that he came out and was HIV-positive. What happened was a spiral. Drugs. Then healing.
He cooperated with this documentary “not for everyone to take a look at me, but for everyone to know if I can do it, you can do it.”
Louganis is now married. Dives “occasionally.” Works as an actor. Is now “OK. My husband’s a paralegal. We sold our Malibu house, paid the taxes, paid off a loan, paid for our wedding and we’re now OK.
“I gave away a couple of my medals. My husband now hides the rest from me — just so I never do that again.”
Diploma, what’s it good for?
Recent story about a lady ducking class, ducking exams, not passing grades yet getting a diploma and graduating high school?
NYC’s education system, I don’t understand. Long back sewing, making your own graduation dress, was required in Home Ec. Me, I couldn’t sew. So, despite high marks, high average, high IQ, skipping terms to graduate early at 15, I could never get my high school diploma.
So qué pasa with this truant who skipped classes yet graduated? Maybe she’ll enter Yale, grab her Ph.D. and become a rocket scientist.
Odds & ends
Jennifer Lawrence on resembling her “Hunger Games” character: “No. She’s brave and I’m an actress” . . .
Great Mariah Carey greatly outdoes everyone. A recent event planned for cameras to follow her as she walked down stairs. The producer got told: “Mariah doesn’t do stairs” . . .
Oblabma will do a career life story once he’s out. Good idea. Just what we need — another pop-up book . . .
Please try to pay attention
Some endorsers on back flap of Cosby’s last book want subsequent editions dis-including their names . . .
Yankee Stadium Aug. 25 “The English Spy” best-seller author Daniel Silva throwing out the first pitch . . .
Latest little shopkeeper squeezed out by big rent? After 42 years it’s Mitch J. Cohen/Henry Cowit, Inc. New location for their Madison Avenue Furs is 118 W. 27th . . .
Saturday. Carolines Comedy Club on B’way. Damon Wayans Jr. Funny. But oy so dirty. His clean sentence? “Mother . . . f - - ker . . . transvestite.” Hilarious Haitian Wil Sylvince: “In South Africa, I couldn’t tell who was homeless, who wasn’t.”
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.