Two-time Olympic diving gold medalist Sammy Lee dies at age 96

Two-time Olympic diving gold medalist Sammy Lee dies at age 96

Published Dec. 9, 2016 1:25 p.m. ET

Two-time Olympic diving gold medalist Dr. Sammy Lee died due to complications from pneumonia on Friday. He was 96.

Lee, who won the 10-meter platform diving event at both the 1948 London and 1952 Helsinki Games, was the first Asian-American to win an Olympic gold medal and the first male athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in the platform event.

A native of Fresno, California, Lee was a graduate of USC medical school before he won his first Olympic gold in 1948. He then served as a doctor in the U.S. Army during the Korean War before defending his Olympic title in Helsinki in 1952.

Later, Lee became a coach to some of the United States' best Olympic divers, including four-time gold medalist Greg Louganis.

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Lee was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990.

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