Greg Louganis became an Olympic diving legend in the late 1970s and 1980s, winning multiple gold medals and one silver. However, he disappeared into the fog in 2025, selling many of his possessions and starting a new life in Panama.

Louganis won gold in the 3m springboard and 10m platform events at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, claiming a clean sweep in diving in consecutive Games. The now-66-year-old also won silver in the 10m platform at the 1976 Games, earning the title of one of the greatest divers of his generation. But in 2025, Louganis decided that he wanted a life away from the fame in the US.

Posting on Facebook last year, the Olympic icon revealed that he had sold three of his medals and his home in California in order to begin a new life in Central America. He said: "I have auctioned three of my medals, which sold, I believe, because I went against what the 'experts' told me last time when I tried the first time.

"I told the truth; I needed the money. While many people may have built businesses and sold them for a profit, I had my medals, which I am grateful for."

The Independent reported that these medals sold for almost £300,000 at auction in July 2025. A 1984 gold was bought for £147k, while one of 1988 triumphs raked in £148k, and his silver medal from 1976 earned him a much more modest £22k.

Once he had headed to Panama, Louganis updated his social media followers about his new beginning in December 2025. The American took to Instagram to share the enjoyment of his living situation and touched on whether he may stay there for good.

Louganis said: "I think I'm going to be in Panama for a while. It seems to be a good time to make those changes. So many of my friends are dispersing to different parts of the world which is really cool."

Regarding permanent residence, he added: "Panama is great - I'm really checking it out. I didn't move to Panama. I'm not getting a hold of attorneys and getting my citizenship or anything like that, but that's a possibility. It is a possibility.

"Ideally, what I'd really love to do is take a year and live in New Zealand and explore that. Because I do have some New Zealand Maori on my dad's side. It looks fascinating and beautiful, and they have so much respect for their indigenous people there."