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Spectacular gold winner's medal awarded to legendary American diver Greg Louganis for his victory in the men's 3-meter springboard at the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. Gilt silver, 63.5 mm, 144 gm, designed by Dugald Stermer and struck by Jostens, Indianapolis. The front, inscribed, “XXIII Olympiad, Los Angeles 1984,” features a ‘Seated Victory’ with the Colosseum in the background; the reverse portrays a victorious athlete being carried by a jubilant crowd. The edge is inscribed with the name of the event, “Diving Springboard Men.” Complete with original magenta, vermilion, and yellow ribbon, which is separated at the seam, and its purple velvet presentation case, which bears a faulty hinge. Accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity from Louganis.
After earning a silver medal in the 10-meter platform at Montreal’s 1976 Summer Games, a 16-year-old Greg Louganis was viewed as a new diving superstar and the athlete to watch at the next Olympic Games in Moscow. However, when the United States and 65 countries boycotted the 1980 Olympics, Louganis was forced to wait eight years before his next Olympic opportunity at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. In the interim, Louganis stayed busy by dominating the international scene, sweeping first-place finishes at the World Championships, the Pan American Games, and the Summer Universiade.
When the summer of 1984 finally arrived, all eyes were on Louganis, now 24 years old and widely viewed as the odds-on favorite to win gold in both the 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform. Louganis did not disappoint. When the preliminary round had finished on August 7th, his 11 dives earned him a total of 752.37 points, a resounding effort that outclassed the next closest diver by 124 points. It was a massive statement, one that, to the surprise of some and the expectation of others, was just a warm-up. Louganis amassed a total of 754.41 points in a gargantuan final round showcase, a diving spectacle that awarded him with this, his first — and long-awaited — gold medal of the 1984 LA Games.
