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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Greg Louganis contemplates his, fellow Olympian Caitlyn Jenner’s journeys

Associated Press

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Greg Louganis said he was unaware of fellow Olympian Bruce Jenner’s gender identity struggle when their paths crossed at the Summer 1976 Games and in later years.

The diving great, among the first prominent athletes to come out as gay, said Thursday he has yet to speak with the now-Caitlyn Jenner but can appreciate what she’s going through.

“We all have our journeys. Whether you’re gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, we all have our own journeys,” Louganis, 55, told reporters during a Q&A session on the HBO documentary “Greg Louganis: Back on Board,” debuting Tuesday.

The response to Jenner’s candor, including her own reality series and an ESPY award for courage, contrasts sharply with Louganis’ experience after disclosing his orientation in 1992 and, in 1995, that he was HIV-positive.

He became the only man in diving history to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in both springboard and platform diving, in 1984 and ‘88, but found that opportunities available to other Olympic stars eluded him. He’s said previously he came to believe it was because his sexuality had not remained a secret within his sport.

Louganis said Thursday he hasn’t been asked by longtime Olympic network NBC to serve as a commentator for his sport at the Games.

Louganis was asked if thought being gay was a reason NBC didn’t hire him.

“I think in ’92 it was more fear of my health status… in ’92, people were still dying,” he said, suggesting that NBC somehow gained knowledge of his condition before it was made public. He declined to offer further details.