USAdiver.com - The Best Site for Springboard Divers and Coaches On to the Games (A good USD Article) Twenty years ago, the results of the U.S. Olympic diving trials would have all but foretold the results of the Olympics. .... "It used to be that sports added something to the rest of your life," O'Brien said. "Now they're what you do instead of the rest of your life." more Controversy at diving trials ...U.S. diving's glory days are graying alongside four-time gold medalist Greg Louganis, who worked the trials crowd one day last week with a signing pen and a handshake...That reality has U.S. diving officials trying to maximize the U.S. team's medal potential, even at the cost of some trials controversy. HIS Olympic dream will have to wait Thomas Finchum ended up making American diving history after all...Except it wasn't history with a storybook ending....For the first time, someone finished second at the Olympic Trials and did not qualify for the Olympics. That someone was Finchum, 14, of Indianapolis, who has become big in the sport despite his 5-3, 92-pound dimensions.

Garcia nearly perfect in surreal men’s 10m platform trial Fearful Ruiz abruptly pulls out; Soldati onto 1st Games with win in women’s springboard Mark Ruiz climbed to the next-to-last ledge of the 33-foot-high tower — and couldn’t go any farther. It was still bright red as he prepared to compete in the evening. He broke down in tears during in the introductions, unsure if he even wanted to compete. more Diving 101: Olympic history | NBC Olympics Diving 101: Olympic history Tumblr Get a history lesson in diving before the 2016 Rio Olympics. London, 2012: The United States saw its most successful Games in 24 years, bagging four medals. Team USA's David Boudia topped the podium in the men's individual 10m platform, becoming the first American to win the event since Greg Louganis' back-to-back wins in 1984 and 1988. The Americans' other medals came in the men's synchronized 10m (bronze) and 3m synchronized springboard (bronze).

The final American medal came from Kelci Bryant and Abby Johnston, who picked up silver in the synchronized 3m - the first-ever American medal in the event. Share London 2012: Wu Minxia's golden 3m springboard performance Beijing, 2008: China dominated the diving competition at the 2008 Olympics, winning seven of the eight events contested. One silver and three bronze medals yielded a total medal haul of 11, a far cry from second-place Russia (five). The bright spot for the international field was Matthew Mitcham's performance in the men's 10m. The Australian beat Zhou Luxin for gold, stopping a Chinese sweep in front of its home fans. The best finish for an American at the Games was a pair of fourth place finishes in the 3m synchro events: Chris Colwill/Jevon Tarantino and Kelci Bryant/Ariel Rittenhouse. Athens, 2004: The Greek synchronized diving team of Nikolaos Siranidis and Thomas Bimis took advantage of an extraordinary string of failed dives by some of the world's best to claim a stunning gold medal on the 3m.

The Greek duo had no chance at a medal - let alone gold - until dives unraveled for the leaders on their fifth and final dives. The Chinese team of Peng Bo and Wang Kenan, leaders after four dives, scored a zero when Wang could not complete the final dive, a forward 2-1/2 somersault pike with two twists. China's gaffe opened the door for the world champion Russian team of Dmitri Sautin and Aleksandr Dobroskok. But on their dive - a reverse 2-1/2 somersault pike with 1-1/2 twists - Sautin clipped the board with his feet and barely completed his maneuver. The U.S. team of Justin and Troy Dumais needed an 81.94 on their last dive, but recorded a disastrous 55.65 to fall out of medal contention. In addition to host Greece's upset win in the men's synchronized 3m, Australia's Chantelle Newberry became her country's first female to win individual diving gold when she took the 10m platform. Defending champion Laura Wilkinson finished fifth and the U.S. failed to earn a diving medal for the first time since 1912.

Share London 2012: German diver lands on back Sydney, 2000: The addition of four synchronized events for the Sydney program helped enable China to set a new record for diving golds at a single Games. In Sydney, Chinese divers won five of the eight events. More impressive, the tally included gold from each of the four individual events except for women's platform. In a stunning upset, Laura Wilkinson came from nowhere to win the women's platform. In the process, she broke China's four-Olympics stranglehold in the event and won America's only diving medal of the 2000 Games. Prior to Sydney, Wilkinson, 22, had never finished better than fifth at a major international event. Beginning the final in eighth place, the always-smiling Houstonian made up 23 points on the leader, Li Na of China, to earn the unexpected gold. Atlanta, 1996: After a disappointing fifth-place finish in the springboard ended favored Dmitry Sautin's hopes of becoming the first non-American man to win both the springboard and the platform titles, the "Russian Gladiator" roared back to salvage gold in the platform.

The 22-year-old, who competed with an injured left wrist, trailed Germany's Jan Hempel by less than three points after the semifinal, but took the lead on the first of six final dives and never looked back. In a finishing flourish, the Russian scored the only perfect 10 of the event on his final dive. With a dominant performance on platform in Barcelona, 13-year-old Fu Mingxia of China became the fourth-youngest Olympian ever to win a gold medal. Needing a new challenge for Atlanta, the teenager dedicated herself to winning both the springboard and platform. An inch taller and almost 20 pounds heavier than she was in Spain, Fu won both events to become the first woman since Germany's Ingrid Kraemer in 1960 to complete the sweep. Barcelona, 1992: With the brilliance of Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia cathedral as a backdrop, 16-year-old Sun Shuwei of China starred, becoming the youngest diver to win a men's Olympic title. With Greg Louganis retired, Sun, the pre-Games favorite, took the lead on the fourth dive of the final and never relinquished it.

American Mark Lenzi succeeded Louganis as springboard champion. Seoul, 1988: Greg Louganis became the second diver (first man) to sweep the springboard and platform titles at back-to-back Games. But unlike in 1984, this double was difficult. On his ninth dive of the springboard preliminary round, he struck the board with the back of his head, opening a gash that required four stitches. The fortitude Louganis showed wasn't truly understood by most observers until six years later, when he went public with the fact that he was HIV-positive at the time. In the final, after opening a 20-point lead, Louganis had to repeat the dive on which he was injured: a reverse 2 1/2 somersault in the pike position. Clearing the board with room to spare, he went on to win gold. A week later, in the platform final, Louganis nailed his toughest dive, a reverse 3 1/2 somersault, to edge China's Xiong Ni by 1.14 points for his fourth Olympic title.

Moscow, 1980: Controversy emerged from the Moscow men's springboard competition when eventual winner Aleksandr Portnov of the Soviet Union was allowed to repeat a dive because of crowd noise. That drew the ire of several other divers, particularly East Germany's Falk Hoffmann, whose own request for a re-dive, on the grounds that he was distracted by a photographer's flash, was denied. Hoffman finished fourth and thus is absent from a medal ceremony delayed two days while officials sorted out the protests. Hoffmann wasn't shut out entirely, though. He took home the platform gold. Montreal, 1976: Jennifer Chandler, a 17-year-old from Birmingham, Ala., had burst onto the scene a year earlier, winning the 1975 Pan American Games title. Against tougher competition in Montreal, she didn't wilt, surprising a field that included two former world champions to become America's 10th different winner of women's springboard gold. Munich, 1972: Italian Klaus Dibiasi, whose father competed at the 1936 Olympics, became the third man to repeat as Olympic platform champion with an easy victory in Munich.

Four years later in Montreal, Dibiasi, the first Italian ever to strike Olympic gold in swimming or diving, became the first - and still only - diver to win the same event three times. Mexico City, 1968: Two months after Soviet-led forces brought a violent end to the Prague Spring - Czechoslovakia's attempt at socialism "with a human face" - a Czechoslovakian and a Soviet dueled for women's platform gold at the 1968 Olympics. Buoyed by support from the Mexican crowd, diminutive 16-year-old Czech Milena Duchkova edged Natalya Lobanova with two clutch final dives. Duchkova, who added a platform silver in Munich, remains the only Czech diver to climb an Olympic podium. Rome, 1960: In Rome, Ingrid Kraemer, an East German teenager, became the first non-American woman to win an Olympic springboard title. After breaking a streak of eight straight U.S. victories in that event, Kraemer made it four consecutive Games at which a woman completed the platform/springboard golden double.

Share London 2012: Final dives of women's 3m medalists Melbourne, 1956: A competition marked by controversy saw Mexico's Joaquin Capilla Perez - who'd won platform bronze in 1948 and silver in 1952 - snare gold in Melbourne with a spectacular final dive. American Gary Tobian, the eventual silver medalist, carried the lead into the final round, but Capilla delivered on a forward 1 1/2 somersault with a double twist to win by 0.03 points. The U.S. team protested the final result on the grounds that Soviet and Hungarian judges were biased, a charge even Capilla legitimized. As a result of the controversy, it was decided that judges can be eliminated because of incompetence in future competitions. Helsinki, 1952: After failing to qualify for the 1948 Olympic team by 0.01 points, Californian Pat McCormick went to Helsinki and dominated, giving the U.S. its seventh straight women's springboard and sixth straight women's platform titles.

Four years later, just eight months after giving birth, McCormick repeated the feat, becoming the only woman in history to complete diving's "double-double." London, 1948: At the first post-war Olympics, 28-year-old Korean-American Army doctor Sammy Lee won the first of his two consecutive platform gold medals. Lee, who added a springboard bronze in London, also showed his medical prowess after teammate Miller Anderson was slightly injured on a platform dive. Lee provided first aid before Anderson was taken to the hospital and kept overnight. Lee, the first Asian-American man to win an Olympic medal, later coached Bob Webster to gold medals in 1960 and 1964 and Greg Louganis to a silver medal in 1976. Berlin, 1936: Winning the women's springboard title in Berlin at the age of 13 years, nine months, California's Marjorie Gestring became the youngest person in summer Games history to win individual gold. However, because World War II caused the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Games, the youngest champion remained a one-time champion.

Gestring tried to qualify as a 25-year-old in 1948, but failed to make the American team. Los Angeles, 1932: Frank Kurtz grew up in Missouri, but as a 14-year-old determined to make it as a diver, he hitchhiked to Los Angeles. Seven years later, in his adopted hometown, Kurtz won Olympic bronze as part of a U.S. medal sweep on platform. After the Games, he joined the Army and went on to become one of World War II's most famous fighter pilots. Known for flying the last surviving B-17 Flying Fortress, which was nicknamed "The Swoose," Kurtz later named his daughter - who went on to acting fame - Swoosie Kurtz. Amsterdam, 1928: Pete Desjardins, winner of the springboard competition, appeared to fall short of duplicating Albert White's springboard/platform double four years earlier. But after Farid Simaika was awarded the platform gold and his Egyptian national anthem played, a scoring error was discovered, giving Desjardins the title.

The incident had no ill effect on relations between the 5-foot-3 Desjardins, known as "The Little Bronze Statue from Florida," and Simaika; they later toured Europe together in professional diving exhibitions. Paris, 1924: Albert White, a 29-year-old from Northern California, became the first person in Olympic history to win the platform and springboard events at the same Games. However, White did not make a clean sweep of the competition because Australia's Dick Eve took the last Olympic title awarded in the plain high-dive (no twists or somersaults) event. Antwerp, 1920: At 14 years old and 4-foot-7, Aileen Riggin of the U.S. was small in stature and experience but came up big in Belgium, winning the inaugural women's Olympic springboard competition. The gold medal was the first of many impressive accomplishments for the Rhode Island native, who, in addition to winning Olympic diving and swimming medals in 1924, went on to act in several motion pictures and became one of the first American female sportswriters.

Stockholm, 1912: Women's platform diving premiered, and the home team took advantage of the locale, taking the top two spots in the first competition and seven of the top eight. Greta Johanson, 17, won the gold as the unanimous choice of the five judges, and countrywoman Lisa Regnell got the silver. Isobel White of Great Britain finished third but was followed by Swedes in positions 4-8. London, 1908: Sweden's Hjalmar Johnansson took home the gold medal in the second Olympic platform competition but was equally admired for his out-of-competition heroics. After British diver George Cane was knocked unconscious while attempting a double somersault, Johansson jumped into the pool and pulled his competitor to safety. Because of the Cane incident and several other injuries, there were calls for reforms to prohibit double somersaults. St. Louis, 1904: Diving was introduced as an Olympic sport in St. Louis, although not all of the participants were on the same page when it came to the rules. American George Sheldon took home the first gold, in men's platform, but Germany protested the victories of Sheldon and U.S.

bronze winner Frank Kehoe, claiming that the way a diver hits the water should be irrelevant to one's score. Share Famous Olympians Famous Olympians Olympians ‧ since 1850 ‧ Birthday-Anniversaries Top Surnames This project is a place to list famous and "historic" Olympians and perhaps connect them to Geni profiles. Youngest Olympic Champions in History The youngest athlete to participate at the Modern Olympics was Dimitrios Loundras of Greece who was 10 years, 216 days old when he competed in men's team parallel bars gymnastics at the 1896 Games in Athens. Inge Sørensen of Denmark was 12 yrs, 24 days old when she won a bronze medal in the 200m Breaststroke in 1936. The youngest athlete to win a gold Marjorie Gestring of the United States who was 13 years, 267 days old when she won the women's springboard diving event at the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin. Barbara Pearl Jones won gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

At 15 years old, she is still the youngest track and field gold medalist in history. Marjorie Gestring won gold for the United States diving team in the 1936 Berlin Games when she was only 13 years old. Due to the war, she was unable to defend her title. Nadia Elena Comaneci was the first gymnast to get a perfect score at the Olympics, she was also the youngest to win the all-around title at only 14 years old during the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Bob Mathias was able to overcome his inexperience to win the Decathlon at the 1948 London Games easily at just 17-years old, and without knowing many of the rules of the event. Eleanor Simmonds is the youngest Paralympic Champion, winning gold in the 100 and 400-meters swimming competition for England at only 13 years old. Simmonds continues to train in her hometown of Swansea. Fu Minxia Olympic diver - winning a gold medal award while in her teens. She won gold in Barcelona 1992 at just 14 years old.

The youngest runner to win the Olympic marathon, as well as the four major marathons, Sammy Wanjiru was only 22 years old when he won in Beijing 2008. He died two years later in an apparent suicide. Tara Lipinksi, figure skater, won the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Games when she was only 15 years old. She is still the youngest gold medalist in the Winter Olympic Game history. Henry Cejudo the youngest ever American wrestling champion (21) at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. He is expected to defend his title in 2012 despite a short lived retirement. Dmitry Nelyubin is the youngest cycler to ever win a gold medal at 17 in Seoul 1988. Unfortunately, Nelybuin would be killed in a street fight in 2005. His attackers were charged with murder. Oldest Olympic Champions in History Oscar Swahn won a gold medal for shooting at the 1912 Olympics, when he was 64 years and 280 days old.

At the time of his win, Swahn was 9 months older than Galen Spencer had been when he won his gold medal in 1904. The oldest ever Olympian is Oscar Swahn of Sweden. He was 72 years, 281 days old when he competed at the 1920 Olympics in shooting. He also qualified for the 1924 Olympics but withdrew without competing. Arthur von Pongracz of Austria competed at age 72 in Dressage in 1936, becoming one of the oldest ever competitors at the Olympics. He was born June 25, 1864 and competed on August 12-13, 1936, - 72 years and 49 days old. Hiroshi Hoketsu equestrian rider became the oldest Japanese Olympic representative at age 67in Beijing 2008. Hoketsu first took part in the Olympics in 1964, and he has also made the team for the 2012 Olympics, where he will be 71 years old.

Louis, Count du Douet de Graville (69 years, 95 days) competed in Equestrian at the 1900 Olympics. He was born February 27, 1831, competed June 2, 1900. Galen Carter Spencer was an American who competed in archery at the 1904 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the team competition. He was born September 19, 1840, and competed on September 19, 1904, which means he competed on his 64th birthday. Jerry Millner (born July 5, 1847) was a British shooter who represented Great Britain and Ireland at the 1908 Summer Olympics. He won a gold medal in the Free rifle at 1000 yards. At the time he was 61 years and 4 days old. Lorna Johnstone was the oldest woman to compete in the Olympics. British rider who participated in Equestrian at the 1972 Olympic Games at 70 years and 5 days old.

Sybil “Queenie” Newall became the oldest woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal in 1908; British archery winner aged 53 years, 275 days. Archery Darrell Pace (born 23 Oct 1956) - A four-time Olympian, Darrell Pace broke five Olympic records at the 1976 and 1984 Games and won two Individual titles. USA. Kim Soo Nyung (born 5 Apr 1971) - Kim Soo-Nyung is recognised as one of the outstanding female archers of her generation and is the most decorated woman in the sport’s history. South Korean.

Athletics Spiridon Louis’ Grandson Talks About His Grandfather Vebjørn Rodal - Men's 800 metres Record Holder 1:42.58 - Norway 1996 Atlanta Ville Ritola took 4 gold medals (3000 m Team, 10000m, Cross 10000 m Team and 3000 m Steeplechase) and 2 silver (5000m and Cross 10000 m Individual). Paris 1924 Waldemar Cierpinski 2 gold medals - men's marathon Badminton Zhang Ning - Zhang Ning is a double Olympic gold medallist and the only player to win consecutive Badminton Singles titles at the Games. Alan Budikusuma - Alan Budikusuma was among the leading badminton players in the world from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, picking up numerous titles including Olympic gold. Basketball Teresa Edwards - Teresa Edwards holds the record as both the youngest and the oldest Olympic gold medallist in women’s Basketball.

Michael Jordan - Michael Jordan’s remarkable achievements throughout a long and illustrious career make him one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Walter Herrmann - 2004 Beach Volleyball Natalie Cook - Cook first competed in a Games at Atlanta 1996, with Kerri Pottharst. They became the first team to win an Olympic Beach Volleyball medal when they won bronze. Kerri Pottharst - Pottharst first competed in a Games at Atlanta 1996, with Natalie Cook. They became the first team to win an Olympic Beach Volleyball medal when they won bronze. Ricardo Santos - Nicknamed ‘The Wall’, Ricardo Santos has won more medals than anyone else in men’s Beach Volleyball, marking him out as a true star. Boxing Muhammad Ali/Casius Clay - Before boxer Muhammad Ali became one of the most famous people in the world, he won gold in the Light Heavyweight event at the Rome 1960 Games. Teofilo Stevenson - Teofilo Stevenson is one of only three men to win three Olympic Games Boxing gold medals, with triumphs in the Heavyweight division at consecutive Games.

Canoe Slalom Peter and Pavol Hochschorner- Twin brothers Pavol and Peter Hochschorner have won Olympic gold at three consecutive Olympic Games in the men's C2 Slalom event. Štěpánka Hilgertová Štěpánka Hilgertová has competed in the K1 event at five Olympic Games, winning gold medals at two of them. Canoe Sprint Birgit Fischer- Birgit Fischer’s achievements in kayaking makes her one of the greatest Olympians of all time. Gert Fredriksson - The most successful male canoeist in history, Sweden’s Gert Fredriksson won a total of eight Olympic medals. Cycling - BMX Anne-Caroline Chausson - Anne-Caroline Chausson won the inaugural women’s Olympic BMX event at the Beijing 2008 Games.

Maris Strombergs - Maris Strombergs was the winner of the first ever men’s Olympic BMX event, which took place at the Beijing 2008 Games Cycling - Mountain Bike Gunn-Rita Dahle Fiesja - A multiple European and World Championship winner, Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja won the women’s Mountain Bike competition at Athens 2004. Julien Absdalon - Julien Absalon is the only man to have won two gold medals in Olympic Mountain Bike. Cycling - Road Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel - Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel dominated women’s cycling during the 1990s, but had to wait until Sydney 2000 before landing her first Olympic gold medals. Paolo Bettini - Paolo Bettini of Italy won the men’s Individual Road Race at Athens 2004 to take his place among the greatest Olympic road cyclists of all time. Bradley Wiggins (born 28 April 1980) is a British professional track and road cyclist, riding for the UCI ProTeam Team Sky.

He won the 2012 Tour de France, becoming the first British winner in its 99 year history. He is also the only cyclist to have won both a Grand Tour and a gold medal in Olympic track cycling. Cycling - Track Chris Boardman Cycling 1992 Felicia Ballanger - A triple Olympic champion, Felicia Ballanger was among the strongest track sprinters of the 1990s. Jens Fiedler - Jens Fiedler’s five medals make him one of the most decorated Olympic cyclists of all time. Knud Enemark Jensen 1960 Diving Fu Mingxia - Fu Mingxia competed at Barcelona 1992 and became the youngest ever medal winner at the age of just 13. Gregory Louganis - Regarded as one of the greatest divers of all time, Greg Louganis’ Olympic medals sit alongside 47 national championships and six world championships.

Equestrian Bill Roycroft (1915- 2011) pioneer of equestrian sport in Australia - Gold - 1960 Rome Hans Günter Winkler - Hans Günter Winkler is the only jumper to ever wn five Olympic gold medals and one of only four athletes to compete and win medals at six Games. Reiner Klimke - Reiner Klimke's six gold and two bronze Dressage medals over six different Games make him the most decorated rider in Olympic history. Fencing Aladar Gerevich 1932-1960 Edoardo Mangiarotti - The most decorated fencer in the history of the sport, Edoardo Mangiarotti won a record 13 medals in a 24-year Olympic Games career. Ilona Elek - Ilona Elek competed in her first Olympic Games at Berlin 1936 and took home a gold medal in the Foil event. Football Mia Hamm - The most dominant women's football player of the 1990s, Mia Hamm has been an inspiration to young players around the world.

Patrick Mboma - Patrick Mboma led Cameroon on a thrilling and unexpected run during Sydney 2000 to take the men's Football gold medal. Gymnastics - Artistic Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) - American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist, the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title. Nadia Elena Comaneci was the first gymnast to get a perfect score at the Olympics, she was also the youngest to win the all-around title at only 14 years old during the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Nikolai Andrianov - Before Michael Phelps’ heroics at Beijing 2008, Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov had tasted Olympic success more times than any other male athlete in history. Larissa Latynina - One of the greatest Olympians ever, Larissa Latynina won 18 medals between Melbourne 1956 and Tokyo 1964. Gymnastics - Rhythmic Alina Kabaeva Alina Kabaeva is one of the most decorated rhythmic gymnasts in the history of the discipline.

Natalia Lavrova Natalia Lavrova was Russia's first rhythmic gymnast to win two Olympic gold medals Handball Andrey Lavrov Andrey Lavrov was the first three-time Olympic Handball champion and is the only athlete to have won Olympic gold medals for three different national teams. Anja Andersen Widely considered to be among the best handball players of all time, Anja Andersen won a gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Hockey Rechelle Hawkes Rechelle Hawkes made her Olympic debut at Seoul 1988 and won the first of three gold medals as Australia beat the Republic of Korea in the final. Dhyan Chand Dhyan Chand came to prominence with the Indian army team in 1926 before going on to score over 1,000 goals in a career spanning 22 years. Judo Ryoko Tani Ryoko Tani was only 16 years old when she won a silver medal in the 48kg event at Barcelona 1992. David Douillet David Douillet’s amazing natural physique combined with his competitive nature translated into a glittering Olympic career in the Heavyweight event.

Modern Pentathlon Stephanie Cook Stephanie Cook has the honour of being the first ever female Olympic gold medallist in Modern Pentathlon. Andras Balczó Regarded as one of the greatest male pentathletes of all time, Andras Balczó won three Olympic gold medals as well as 10 World Championship titles. Rowing Matthew Clive Pinsent (born 10 Oct 1970) During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals Personal web page Sir Steve Redgrave Steve Redgrave was the first athlete to win gold medals at five successive Olympic Games in an endurance sport. Elisabeta Oleniuc-Lipa The only rower to win Olympic gold medals 20 years apart, Elisabeta Oleniuc-Lipa represented Romania at six Olympic Games, winning at least one medal at each. Sailing Ben Ainslie - laser Fleet sailing 2000 Paul Elvstrom - A Danish sailing legend, Paul Elvstrom won four Olympic gold medals over his 40-year Games career. Shirley Robertson Shirley Robertson is one of the greatest female Olympic sailors in history, competing in four Olympic Games.

Shooting Maria Grozdeva Maria Grozdeva is among Bulgaria’s most successful athletes at the Olympics Games, winning a total of five medals in four Games. Ralf Schumann Ralf Schumann’s competitive shooting career began in 1977 and he was still competing at the highest level at Beijing 2008, 31 years later. Swimming Jenny Thompson Jenny Thompson’s 12 Olympic medals make her the most successful female Olympian to ever compete in the pool. Dawn Fraser AO, MBE. Dawn Fraser won the gold medal for the 100m freestyle in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and was the first swimmer to win the same event at three consecutive Olympics. She won a total of four gold medals. In winning these four medals, she set two world records and two Olympic records. Shane Gould MBE, Shane Gould competed at the 1972 Munich Games as a 16 year old. She won gold medals in the 200m individual medley, 200m and 400m freestyle. All her gold medals were won in world record times.

She also won silver in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 100m freestyle. Joan Harrison born 29 November 1035 in East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa, Won Olympic Gold medal for 100m backstroke, 1952 Helsinki. Murray Rose AM. Murray Rose competed at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 1960 Rome Olympics. In 1956 he won three gold medals - the 400m, 1500m and 4x200m freestyle. in 1960 he won a further three medals - gold in the 400m freestyle, silver in the 1500m freestyle and bronze in the 4x200m freestyle. Stephanie Rice OAM Won 3 x Gold Medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Eric the Eel Swimming 2000 '* Mark Spitz One of the greatest swimmers of all time, Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the Munich 1972 Games, each in a world-record time.

World swimmer of the year. 1977 Inducted into the International Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as an honor swimmer. Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, with first class of Inductees. Michael Phelps (born 30 June 1985) - an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions. Rebecca Adington OBE (GBR) won Gold in the Women's 400m and 800m Freestyle events aged 18, breaking the 800m Freestyle world Record in the process. Synchronised Swimming Table Tennis Guoliang Lui - broke into the Chinese national table tennis team at the age of just 15 and went on to become a double Olympic champion. Yaping Deng - overcame her diminutive stature to dominate female table tennis during the 1990s.

Taekwondo Sun Hee Lee Sun made history at Sydney 2000 by becoming the first Olympic Taekwondo champion. Kyong Hyun Kim Kyong Hyun Kim won the inaugural +80kg Taekwondo event at the Sydney 2000 Games. Tennis Charlotte Cooper Charlotte Reinagle Cooper (22 September 1870 – 10 October 1966) She won the tennis singles at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France where women were allowed to participate for the first time. (Medals were not awarded until the 1904 Summer Olympics). Reginald Doherty (14 October 1872 - 29 December 1910) Doherty won the doubles title (gold medals were not given at the 1900 Games) at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris with his brother. He also competed in the singles tournament and reached the semi-final where he was scheduled to play against his brother. Reggie withdrew, since the brothers refused to play each other before the final[4]. He also won the mixed doubles title with five-time Wimbledon champion Charlotte Cooper.

Doherty did not compete in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. In the 1908 Olympics in London Reggie again won the doubles title, this time with compatriot George Hillyard. Steffi Graf - German tennis legend who was ranked world number one for a record 378 weeks – just one of her many achievements. Won a gold medal at Seoul Olympics Nicholas Massu - completed an impressive double at the Athens 2004 Games when he won both the Singles and Doubles competitions. Helen Wills Moody won two Olympic gold medals in Paris in 1924 (singles and doubles), the last year that tennis was an Olympic sport until 1988 Hubert Louis Umberto Luigi Baron de Morpurgo - World’s 9th (1928), 10th (1929), 8th (1930) American Bill Tilden ranked him 10th in the world (1924), 6th (1929). Junior champion in Great Britain (1911), student champion Paris (1915).

Italy’s # 1 ranked player (1927), (1929-1931). American Tennis magazine labeled Baron de Morpurgo “the Tilden of his country.” Trampoline Alexander Moskalenko Alexander Moskalenko won the first gold medal in men’s Trampoline when the discipline was added to the Olympics in 2000 – despite having retired four years earlier. Karen Cockburn Karen Cockburn has won a medal at every Olympic Trampoline competition since its introduction in 2000. Triathlon Volleyball Charles Kiraly Regarded as one of the greatest volleyball players ever, Kiraly won Olympic gold medals in both of the sport’s disciplines. Regla Torres At 1.91m tall, Regla Torres seemed a natural for the sport of volleyball. Water Polo Brenda Villa - One of the most decorated players in the history of women’s water polo, Brenda Villa has won a medal at each of the three Water Polo competitions since 2000. Dezső Gyarmati - Dezső Gyarmati is widely considered one of the greatest water polo players of all time.

Weightlifting Chen Yanqing - Chen Yanqing was the first woman to win gold medals in Weightlifting in two consecutive Olympic Games. Pyrros Dimas - At the Barcelona 1992 Games the 20-year-old, competing in the 82.5kg weight class, won Greece’s first Olympic Weightlifting gold since 1904. Vasily Alekseyev Soviet weightlifter - generally regarded as the greatest exponent of super-heavyweight lifting in history. He won two Olympic gold medals (Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976) during an 8 year unbeaten spell that began in 1960. He set an incredible 80 world records during his career. Wrestling Aleksandr Karelin - one of only four male wrestlers to have won three Olympic gold medals. Aleksandr Karelin Men's 120kg Greco Roman wrestling Irini Merleni - became the first women’s Wrestling gold medal winner when the sport debuted on the Olympic programme at Athens 2004.

__________ The Greatest Athletes Who Never Got a Wheaties Box | Advocate.com The Greatest Athletes Who Never Got a Wheaties Box By Advocate.com Editors The Breakfast of (Some) Champions Two-time Olympic Gold medal diver Greg Louganis is the only man in Olympic history to sweep the springboard and platform diving events in consecutive Olympic Games. The recent HBO documentary about him, Greg Louganis: Back on Board, includes a touching moment when the famed diver — the best the U.S. has ever had — speaks mournfully of never being put on the front of a Wheaties box. It's an iconic honor, which skipped him as an out gay man who is also HIV-positive. So far nearly 50,000 people have petitioned General Mills to right the wrong and put Louganis on a cereal box. All of that enthusiasm has us dreaming about a world in which LGBT athletes are valued in sports. Can you imagine, as a young gay man, sitting down for breakfast with Louganis on the box? That's exactly what we did, and then we started imagining other LGBT sports heroes who deserve to be recognized...

Billie Jean King In her two-decade-long career, Billie Jean King was ranked number 1 in the world; she won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles, 16 women’s doubles, and 11 mixed doubles titles. She also won the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match against men’s champion Bobby Riggs in 1973. But she has never been on a Wheaties box. King was forced out of the closet in 1981 when her secretary and onetime partner Marilyn Barnett brought a palimony lawsuit against her. Since her coming-out, she has settled down with partner Ilana Kloss. Among her accomplishments, she and respected UCLA basketball coach John Wooden were named Sports Illustrated’s 1972 Sportsmen of the Year. King was the first woman to receive the publication’s honor. In 1990 Life magazine named her one of the 100 Most Important Americans of the 20th century. In 2009 she was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And she was part of the U.S.

delegation to the Olympics in Sochi in 2014, a pointed response to President Vladimir Putin's antigay policies. Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova is arguably one of the greatest tennis players to ever grace the court. This Czech-American won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 major mixed doubles titles in a storied career that spanned 32 years (1974-2006). A sure champion, right? On a personal level, Navratilova was also one of the first world-class athletes (along with Billie Jean King) to come out, when she was featured in a column back in 1981. In 1981 she also was sworn in as a U.S. citizen, having escaped communist Czechoslovakia a few years earlier. She reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times, including nine consecutive years from 1982 through 1990, and won the women's singles title at Wimbledon a record nine times. She recorded the longest winning streak in history, winning 74 consecutive matches.

Tom Daley There hasn't ever been another American diver of Louganis's stature. He's the best. U.K. Olympic diver Tom Daley, who is also rather famously engaged to American screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, is looking forward to next year's Summer Olympics in Rio. He won bronze at the London 2012 Olympics in the individual competition in front of the hometown crowd. He was Britain's youngest competitor at the games before that in Beijing in 2008. And he's the country's youngest-ever world champion. If he does well, maybe it's time for a global approach to Wheaties? Amelie Mauresmo As long as we're being global, French tennis champ Amélie Mauresmo was ranked number 1 in tennis in 2004 and was a silver medalist in the Olympic games that year in Athens. Her nation rallied behind her after Martina Hingis's infamous joke that Mauresmo was "half a man." Nonetheless, she was the first French woman to win a singles title at Wimbledon since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925, making her a two-time Grand Slam winner (Wimbledon and Australian Open).

"I dreamt of this career, I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam title," she said upon announcing her retirement in 2009. "I lifted trophies in every city in the world and I lived 10 magical and unbelievable years." Jason Collins Jason Collins wore 98 as his jersey number, first while with the Boston Celtics and later with the Washington Wizards in honor of Matthew Shepard, who died as the result of a horrifying antigay hate crime in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998. The NBA center became the first active gay male professional athlete on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2013, and then as a member of the Brooklyn Nets he became the sport's first openly gay man to appear in a game. But breaking down barriers hasn't been champion enough for Wheaties, though Collins is certainly a hero to LGBT fans. Robbie Rogers Los Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Rogers got a standing ovation when he took the field this year as the first openly gay male player in Major League Soccer. Rogers had left the sport upon coming out but returned after a few months of adjustment. On that day, Rogers said he knew the world would be watching, but the nerves disappeared when it became just another game.

Rogers is part of a champion team, with the Galaxy winning the MLS cup in 2014. Tell that to critics who say having an out gay player is too distracting. Billy Bean Billy Bean, only the second Major League Baseball player to come out, played for eight seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. After the lefty outfielder retired, he penned Going the Other Way: Lessons From a Life In and Out of Major League Baseball. Bean still holds the MLB record for four hits by a rookie in his first game. In 2014 he was named ambassador for inclusion for all of Major League Baseball. Maybe that's exactly what Wheaties needs — inclusion? Orlando Cruz Orlando Cruz is the first out gay boxer and a human stereotype-buster. The small-framed boxer from Puerto Rico packs a powerful punch as a rising featherweight, racking up so many knockouts that he competed for the title.

He wears his openness on his sleeve, proclaiming, "I have always been and always will be a proud gay man." Brittney Griner Now leading a WNBA championship-winning team, Brittney Griner is also a three time All-American Baylor alum and was the first NCAA basketball player to score 2,000 points and block 500 shots in her career. In 2012 she led her team to a 40-0 record and the women’s NCAA championship while being named the AP Player of the Year, Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and the Best Female Athlete at the ESPY Awards. Since joining the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, she has become just the third woman to successfully dunk a basketball during a game. Diana Nyad Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad is known for her outrageous swim attempts, including circling Manhattan Island in seven hours and 57 minutes and in 1979 completing what was then the longest swim in history, 102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Florida. She has since been named to the U.S. National Women’s Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

In 2013, Nyad succeeded in her fifth attempt to swim the Straits of Florida, from Cuba to the U.S. The year before, in 2012, she made it 41 miles before hypothermia, storms, and jellyfish stings forced her to abandon the effort. This last time, at age 64, she conquered the trip in 52 hours, 54 minutes, and 18.6 seconds. Still waiting for a Wheaties box, though. Caster Semenya South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya smoked the competition at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. But then reports that Semenya's gender was suddenly in question put her even further into the spotlight. Semenya, 19 at the time, underwent several rounds of gender testing and international scrutiny over the course of nearly a year. Eventually, she was cleared to compete, and even won the silver medal in the 800-meter run at the 2011 World Championships after being revealed to be intersex. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won a silver medal in the women's 800 meters.

Esera Tuaolo Everyone knows Wheaties loves the NFL. Three years after retiring in 1999 (the year he played in the Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons), Esera Tuaolo announced that he was gay on HBO's Real Sports. Tuaolo was at the time only the third former NFL player to officially come out. He's been a firm advocate for LGBT people and informative on what life is like being gay in sports, comparing it to the treatment of gay service members under "don't ask, don't tell." Since then, Michael Sam became the first out gay man to be drafted by an NFL team, though he didn't get to play in a regular season game. John Amaechi John Amaechi is one of the world's most high-profile gay athletes. But that doesn't mean he was on a Wheaties box. American-born and British-raised, Amaechi made history with his 2007 New York Times best-selling memoir, in which he came out as gay, becoming the first former NBA player to do so.

Post-retirement, Amaechi continues to do charitable work, for which he's been recognized by the British government and appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the queen in 2011. Rudy Galindo Rudy Galindo overcame an impoverished childhood in Mexico to become U.S. figure skating’s first openly gay champion in 1996. Galindo, who’s HIV-positive, has been inducted into the Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Says Laura Galindo-Black, Rudy’s sister and onetime coach, "He crossed so many lines and barriers. I think he's the perfect person to be honored." She could have been talking about being honored with a Wheaties box, in our dream world. related slideshows

Question: Which American was the first ever person to retain an Olympic springboard diving title?
Answer: Greg Louganis