Greg Louganis was one of the premiere American divers from the late 1970s to late 1980s.  Louganis first appeared in the Olympics at the young age of 16, where he earned his first Olympic medal by earning second place in the 10m platform.  Louganis moved into a position of dominance at the 1984 Los Angeles games and won two gold medals.  The 1988 Olympics would also be successful for Louganis, yet he would suffer a frightening injury during one event.

On this day, September 19th, in 1988, Greg Louganis suffered a concussion after hitting his head on a springboard during the summer Olympics.  During a preliminary round of the 3m springboard competition, Louganis attempted a reverse 2 and a half pike.  Despite the injury, Louganis went on to take gold in the event and repeated his 10m victory from the 1984 games.

Greg Louganis ended his Olympic career with the 1988 games, but went on to be successful as a writer.  His book Breaking the Surface was on top of the New York Times Best Seller List for five consecutive weeks in 1988.