U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 1991 : NOTEBOOK

While the best divers in the United States were competing on the three-meter springboard Saturday in an effort to determine who will fill the void left by Greg Louganis, Louganis sat in a chair near the trainer’s tent watching and petting his Great Dane, Ryan Luke.

Louganis, the four-time Olympic gold-medalist who is generally considered to be the greatest diver of all time, put his singing, dancing and acting career on hold for two months this year to be with his ailing father.

Louganis’ father, Peter, died of cancer in February.

“My dad wanted to be in Dana Point so I bought a place down there and we spent his last weeks together, including my 31st birthday,” he said. “It was my only priority then and it was a very special time.”

Louganis, who trained with the Mission Viejo Nadadores for most of his career, is living in Malibu and spending much of his time preparing his Great Danes for shows. He says he is no longer associated with the William Morris Agency and is not actively seeking a new agent.

“I’m still going to acting classes and I feel like I’m doing some good work there,” Louganis said. “I’m confident something will come along. And in the meantime, I’m having a lot of fun working with my dogs.”