Klaus Dibiasi (ITA) 1981 Honor Diver
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1964 silver (platform); 1968 gold (platform), silver (springboard); 1972 gold (platform); 1976 gold (platform). First diver to win 5 Olympic medals; First and only diver to win the same Olympic title at 3 successive Olympic Games; WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1973 gold (platform), 1973 silver (springboard); 1975 gold (platform), silver (springboard); EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1966 gold (platform); 1970 silver (springboard, platform); 1974 gold (springboard, platform); EUROPEAN DIVING CUPS: 1967 gold (platform); 1968 gold (springboard); 1971 gold (springboard, platform); 1973 gold (springboard); 1975 gold (platform); Platform Diver of the Year 9 times.
No other man or woman has won an Olympic diving title in 3 Olympic Games. Klaus Dibiasi very nearly won 4, missing the first of what would have been 4 consecutive 10-meter platform titles by 1.04 points to Bob Webster at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Tall, soft spoken and handsome this Austro-Italian from Bolzano, Italy was king of the tower from 1964 through retirement in 1976. Coached by his father, a former Italian Olympian and National Champion, Klaus succeeded him as National Coach after his third Olympic Gold medal at Montreal in 1976.