Venus Williams honors $2,000,000-worth American Olympics diving legend with special message

The American tennis icon Venus Williams recently shared her admiration towards one of her idols and all-time Olympic legend Greg Louganis.

Louganis, with a net worth of $2 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), is regarded as one of the most successful divers in the history of the sport. His accolades speak for themselves, being a four-time Olympic champion, having won gold medals at consecutive Olympic games; the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics.

He is the only man to win gold in both the springboard and platform events in consecutive Olympics. The American’s greatness transcends his sporting feats, he has been a long-time advocate of the LGBTQ+ community and HIV awareness as he has been a victim himself.

The clip featured in the story was about an interviewer asking questions to Louganis about some of his memorable achievements and remarkable journey. Venus captioned the story:

“One of my heroes @greglouganis, his 1988 win, wow 🌟”

Venus Williams Instagram story about Greg Louganis - Source: Instagram/@venuswilliams

Venus Williams, a sporting legend herself, expressed her admiration towards Louganis, who was not just a great athlete but also a game changer and shattered barriers.

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Venus Williams to return to the WTA Tour at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open

Venus Williams at the Miami Open 2024 - Source: Getty

The 44-year-old Venus Williams will play a competitive tournament almost after a year. The last time when she was in action was at the 2024 Miami Open where she faced a first-round defeat against Diana Shnaider in straight sets.

Despite her age, she has not stopped playing the sport at the highest level. Whereas, her younger sister Serena Williams retired at the age of 40 in 2022. When asked about her reasons to continue playing at the age of 44, Venus stated her reason in an interview with Irish News late last year:

"I’m not done with the racket yet... At this point, it’s about picking and choosing places I want to be. Last year I really wanted to play in Miami – home – because I hadn’t played there in like five years," she said.

She is set to return to the sport after 12 months in Indian Wells. Last year, along with Miami she also participated in the other WTA 1000 event at the BNP Paribas Open, where she was also knocked in the first round.

The American got a wildcard entry into the tournament, as she is currently ranked No. 978 in the world. At this stage of her career, she is looking to play the sport for its sheer joy and passion. The last title won by the American legend was back in 2016 at the Taiwan Open. She also won Wimbledon in the doubles category along with Serena that year.

The 14-time doubles Grand Slam champion will face many top 10 players in Indian Wells, and it will be interesting to see how she fares at the tournament.