Bernard Charles Wrightson (born June 25, 1944) is a former Olympic and Pan American Games gold medalist for the United States. The Denver, Colorado, native was primarily a three-meter springboard diver, but he also won a national AAU championship on the ten-meter platform. Between 1964 and 1968, Bernie Wrightson captured a total of eight USA Open titles in the sport of diving. He represented US at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where he received a gold medal in Springboard Diving.
Biography
Wrightson was raised in Denver, Colorado, where he attended Morey Junior High and Denver East High School. He attended Arizona State University; in 1966 he was the National Collegiate Athletic Association champion on both the one and three-meter springboard. The following season, Wrightson won a gold medal at the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg. During the 1968 Games of Mexico City, Bernie moved in front during the first round – and never looked back; he set an Olympic record of 170 points to win the gold medal.
Awards
He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1984.