Greg Louganis will appear in ESPN The Magazine’s “Body Issue” next month. The 1988 Olympic gold medalist spoke to ESPN about how he was struggling with an HIV diagnosis at the time of his career high point.
“HIV taught me that I’m a lot stronger than I ever believed I was,” he said.
The 56 year old, who is the oldest athlete in the issue, also spoke about the discrimination he faced from his teammates and how things have changed for the better since then.
Louganis said, “I think we’ve come to a place of acknowledging bullying and recognizing the importance of standing up for your fellow teammate. I think there is less of that. There is much more sensitivity and people are much more open. Just look at how many athletes have come out now.”
He will travel to Rio with USA Diving as an “official athlete mentor.”
Louganis is not the only aquatic athlete in this summer’s Body Issue. It was also recently announced that Nathan Adrian will appear. The magazine is due out July 8th.
Complete List of Featured Athletes:
- Nathan Adrian, Olympics/Swimming
- Jake Arrieta, MLB
- Antonio Brown, NFL
- Emma Coburn, Olympics/Steeple Chase
- Courtney Conlogue, Surfing
- Elena Delle Donne, WNBA
- Ryan Dungey, Motocross
- Adeline Gray, Olympics/Wrestling
- Greg Louganis, Olympics/Diving
- Conor McGregor, MMA
- Von Miller, NFL
- Chris Mosier, Duathlon
- Nzingha Prescod, Olympics/Fencing
- Christen Press, Soccer
- April Ross, Olympics/Beach Volleyball
- Allysa Seely, Paratriathlete
- Claressa Shields, Olympics/Boxing
- Dwayne Wade, NBA
- Vince Wilfork, NFL
Greg Louganis is such an inspiration to so many and looks great. Looking forward to seeing the whole issue. Inspire everyone for a healthy lifestyle.