Before They Were Stars
Snakkle Celebrates London 2012 by Looking Back at Some of Our Favorite Summer Olympians Before They Were Famous
Cue John Williams’s "Olympic Fanfare"—who's excited for the 2012 London Olympics this summer? From Bruce Jenner’s 1976 decathlon win to gymnast Mary Lou Retton’s 1984 perfect-10 vault to swimmer Dara Torres’s 2008 triumph at 41, we are celebrating the upcoming Games with some superstars of past summers. Check out these nine Olympians and where they are today. By Katherine Butler
Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Pantages Theatre
Greg Louganis—Today
Diver Greg Louganis was a star of both the 1984 Los Angeles and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where he won gold in both the springboard and tower diving events. After the Games, Louganis enjoyed lucrative endorsements until he disclosed his HIV status in his 1995 best-selling autobiography Breaking the Surface. Only Speedo stood by the athlete, endorsing the diver until 2007. Today, Louganis works as a diving coach and an HIV activist. Actor Michael Fassbender cites Louganis as his physical inspiration for playing an android in the upcoming Ridley Scott film Prometheus.
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