Sammy Lee (diver)

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Lee in 1952

Dr. Samuel "Sammy" Lee (August 1, 1920 – December 2, 2016) was an Korean-American diver. He was the first Asian-American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States in 1948.[1]

Lee was born in Fresno, California. He was raised in San Francisco, California. Lee studied at the Occidental College in Los Angeles and studied briefly at the University of Southern California.

He was also the first man to win gold medals "back-to-back" in Olympic platform diving. This means he won a second gold medal for the same event in the next Olympics, in 1952.

Lee, who suffered from dementia and heart disease, died of complications from pneumonia on December 2, 2016 at his home in Newport Beach, California, aged 96.[2]

References[change | change source]

  1. Steve Almasy: After 60 years, Olympians are fast friends again, CNN.com, 22 Aug 2008
  2. "Diving Legend Sammy Lee Passes Away At Age 96", Swimming World, December 3, 2016

Other websites[change | change source]