Diving legend says HIV-contracted friend inspired him to Olympic gold

Legendary American diver Greg Louganis Thursday revealed that his HIV-contracted friend, Ryan White, inspired him to win gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics despite being hit on his head.

The gay Olympic diving champion Louganis, who was diagnosed wtih HIV six months prior to the Games, won the springboard and platform events for the second time after 1984.

But this almost did not happen as in the preliminaries for the 3m springboard event, Louganis hit his head on the ninth dive on the springboard, suffered a concussion and had to receive multiple stitches.

"I wondered what Ryan would do in that situation. He decided that Ryan wouldn't give up, which gave me strength to continue," Louganis, who is the International ambassador of the TSK 25K run, said here.

Louganis went on to complete the best dive of the competition and won the gold medal the next day.

"The thing I'll always remember about Ryan is his courage, strength, and sense of humor...The way Ryan lived his life continues to give me the strength and courage to do things I might not otherwise feel comfortable doing," Louganis, who swept diving events in 1984 and 1988 Olympics, said.

Living with HIV and fit at 58, Louganis said: "It's all about making healthy choices. I think HIV has helped motivate me mentally and physically. I look at working out and doing something physically active every day as being as important as taking my meds."