Tom Gompf

Thomas Eugen Gompf (born March 17, 1939, in Dayton, Ohio) is an American former diver who competed for Ohio State University and won a bronze medal in the 10-meter platform at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Gompf was born March 17, 1939, in Dayton, Ohio, and attended Stivers High School. He trained with the Dayton YMCA swim team where in 1957, his Senior year, he served as Captain, and was coached by Don Freeman. Gompf was the defending YMCA title holder in the 1 and 3-meter springboard, and in the prior two years had gone undefeated in both YMCA competition and dual meets. The "Y" team had won two YMCA national titles by April, 1957 and were attempting their third consecutive win, with Gompf having scored well in the 1956 meet. Gompf represented the Cincinnati Coca Cola Club at the National Junior Championship in 1957, where he placed first in the Platform and 3-meter competitions that August.

Ohio State University He enrolled and swam for Ohio State University around the Fall of 1957, where he placed second in the springboard at both the NCAAs and AAU championship meet in his senior year. He was also an NCAA champion on the trampoline at the NCAA Gymnastics Championship in his Senior year. At Ohio State, he competed in diving for Hall of Fame swim and dive Coach Mike Peppe. He was a Varsity letter winner at Ohio State from 1959-1961, in both diving and gymnastics, and a national runner up in three-meter diving in 1959. He helped lead Ohio State to a national runner-up finish in 1959.

1964 Tokyo Olympics He represented the United States at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he received a bronze medal in the men's 10 metre platform. Defending champion for the 10-meter platform, Bob Webster stood in only 6th place in the event after the seventh dive, but did well enough in the last three dives to win his second consecutive Olympic gold medal. Gompf was a Navy pilot holding the rank of Lieutenant during the 1964 Olympics.

His memoir, A Life Aloft was published by CG Sports Publishing in November 2021.

Honors In 2002, Gompf became a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. In 2010 the US Olympic Committee presented him with the George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award, honoring “a member of the Olympic family,” who had achieved an outstanding service record. He was also a member of the Athletic Halls of Fame at both Ohio State and the University of Miami, where he coached.