Olympic legend Greg Louganis speaks uncensored about his life, struggles, coming out, the experience he had in Russia + why the Sochi Olympics were “Putin’s propaganda.” Coinciding with the release of BACK ON BOARD, the documentary about his remarkable life, we look at the trailer for the film, and he opens up about the shocking difficulty that went on behind the scenes of his Olympic triumphs. Louganis’ transition from athlete to magnetic actor and outspoken activist, and the problem with keeping secrets are all laid bare in this Lip News interview hosted by Gabriel Mizrahi. GUEST BIO: Born in San Diego, California in 1960, Greg Louganis began a remarkable diving career while in college and went on to win a record 47 national and 13 world championships. His awards also include three Olympic medals, and he was the first diver to ever earn a perfect score of 10. One of the all-time greatest athletes in his sport, diver Greg Louganis faced many personal obstacles before winning Olympic gold. In Los Angeles at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Louganis achieved victory in both the men's 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events. While he made his Olympic wins seem so easily, he faced a new set of challenges at his next Olympics. Louganis had discovered before the games that he was HIV-positive, but he decided to continue his quest for gold. At the Olympic Summer Games held in Seoul, South Korea, Louganis injured himself during the preliminaries for the men's 3-meter springboard competition. He struck his head on the board during his dive, dropping awkwardly into the water. About a half an hour later, Louganis returned to competition after receiving some sutures. He later wrote for The Huffington Post that he told his coach that "We worked too long and hard to get there, and I don't want to give up without a fight." Louganis made a remarkable comeback, winning the gold for this event as well as the gold for the men's 10-meter platform. In 1989, Louganis officially retired from diving. He worked as an actor, appearing off-Broadway production of Jeffrey in 1993. He wrote about his life experiences in his best-selling autobiography Breaking the Surface, in which he came out as a gay man and publicly revealed his HIV-positive status. Also in his book, he discussed his substance abuse problems, depression and his abusive relationship with his business manager. ADD’L LINKS: http://louganisdoc.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LouganisDoc www.thelip.tv Newest Lip News playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJ2VH3S7YU&list;=PLjk3H0GXhhGcjJDo6cQBCQprDMQyUQY3r&index;=1 BUZZSAW interview clips - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnaGGDt_CQ8&index;=1&list;=PLjk3H0GXhhGeWhHPas6M9sKUhThquDNOc CRIME TIME clips playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4NwutX7jrU&list;=PLjk3H0GXhhGeC9DbpSnIvd2i9BHh2dBvv&index;=1 BYOD (Bring Your Own Doc) Highlight Videos- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyhRhZBXZ70&index;=1&list;=PLjk3H0GXhhGeu2DCf6Ouo7hTsA5QB2MAL MEDIA MAYHEM short videos playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKCf_SxvJYY&index;=1&list;=PLjk3H0GXhhGcz4un-zws5sMlCLk3NNjDP https://www.facebook.com/thelip.tv http://www.youtube.com/theliptv EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 00:01 Welcome and introducing Greg Louganis. 00:50 Trailer for “Back on Board.” 03:50 What is it like to look back on his life through the documentary? 05:45 Different attitudes towards HIV and coming out. 07:00 What made Louganis transform into an outspoken athlete. 08:30 Growing up in a secretive household. 11:00 Louganis accepts his weaknesses and strives to be himself. 12:30 The many lives of Greg Louganis. 14:00 Honorary host of the LGBT open games in Russia. 17:15 Why boycotting is not the answer. 20:30 Maintaining integrity and the rewards that come with it. 24:00 What its like for Louganis to watch his own documentary. 25:15 Gaining strength from a rough past. 28:15 Is it difficult to be living in the public eye? 30:00 Learning and reflecting through acting. 31:55 Thoughts on biopic “Breaking the Surface.” 33:45 Thanks and Goodbye.

• published: 15 Oct 2014
• views: 97