Olympic diver Mark Lenzi died this week in a North Carolina hospital, his alma mater Indiana University announced. The exact cause of death is unclear, but Lenzi’s mother Ellie told The Free-Lance Star her son has been hospitalized in Greenville for the past two weeks because of low blood pressure that caused fainting spells. Lenzi passed away Monday at the age of 43.
Lenzi won gold in the three-meter springboard at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and won bronze in the 1996 games in Atlanta. He also won 18 international competitions. Lenzi became the first diver to score more than 100 points for a single dive and also became the first diver to score more than 700 points in an 11-dive, 3-meter board competition. He coached at East Carolina University after retiring.
"As an Olympic gold and bronze medalist, Mark was one of our country's greatest divers, and he will be missed tremendously," USA Diving chairman Bob Rydze said in a statement.
In addition to his mother, Lenzi is survived by his wife, two brothers and a sister.
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