Sammy Lee (diver)

Dr. Samuel ("Sammy") Lee (born August 1, 1920 in Fresno, California; of Korean descent) is the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States [Steve Almasy: [http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/22/whitfield.remembering48/index.html After 60 years, Olympians are fast friends again] , CNN.com, 22 Aug 2008] and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving.

Lee also won a bronze medal in springboard diving in the 1948 games. His accomplishments were not limited to the athletic field. Dr. Lee was a student-athlete at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, where he received his M.D. in 1947. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea from 1943-45, where he specialized in the diseases of the ear. In 1953, while serving his tour of duty in Korea, he won the James E. Sullivan Award, which is awarded annually by the Amateur Athletic Union to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. He went on to coach Olympic divers including Pat McCormick, Bob Webster, and Greg Louganis. He is a member of the US Olympic Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* [http://www.asiansinamerica.org/museum/1204_museum.html Sammy Lee on The Asians in America page]
* [http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/leesammy.shtml Sammy Lee on hickoksports.com]
* [http://www.leeandlow.com/books/sixteen.html Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story] written by Paula Yoo, illustrated by Dom Lee, ( [http://www.leeandlow.com LEE & LOW BOOKS] , 2005), ISBN 978-1-58430-247-6. The inspirational true story of Sammy Lee, a Korean American who overcame discrimination to realize both his father’s desire that he become a doctor and his own dream of becoming an Olympic champion diver.
* [http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/sammy-lee-1.html sports-reference]