Lawrence Andreasen

Lawrence Andreasen
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's Diving
Olympic Games
Tokyo 1964 Springboard

Lawrence "Larry" Andreasen (November 13, 1945 – October 26, 1990) was a diver from the United States. He represented his country at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he received the bronze medal in springboard diving.[1]

When the Cunard Line's Queen Mary ocean liner was permanently retired in Long Beach harbor in 1967 as a tourist attraction, at the grand opening festivities Andreasen dove off the ship's bridge into the harbor, delighting the crowd although the impact heavily bruised his entire upper body for days afterward.

In later years, Andreasen several times attempted to set the record for the highest dive from a bridge. On September 29, 1988 he successfully jumped 160 feet (49 m) from the Gerald Desmond Bridge in Long Beach, California. A 4-foot overhang meant he could not attempt a dive headfirst, thus preventing him from breaking the record. He was cited for an infraction by the police for this undertaking, and he swore off further attempts, saying "I've had it with diving ... That's it, I'm retired" from the hospital where he was taken after the fall temporarily paralyzed his chest and arms.[2]

In December 1988, he was talked down by police from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles in another attempt to break the record, later saying he "just wanted to see if he had the old Olympic stuff."[3] On October 26, 1990, Andreasen was killed diving from the 385-foot (117 m) west tower of the same bridge. His death was ruled an accident.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "1964 Summer Olympics – Tokyo, Japan – Diving" databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on August 14, 2008)
  2. ↑ Carlton, Jim (1 October 1988). "'The impact was much heavier than I anticipated.': Ex-Diver Jumps Back in". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "Olympic Diver Coaxed Off Thomas Bridge". Los Angeles Times. AP. 28 December 1988. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Wallechinsky, David; Loucky, Jaime (2012). The Complete Book of the Olympics 2012 Edition. London: Aurum Press. pp. 593–594. ISBN 978 1 84513 695 6.


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