Joaquin CAPILLA PEREZ

With four Olympic medals, Joaquín Capilla is the Mexican Olympian with the most medals (as of 2010). In his three Olympic diving appearances, he never finished lower than fourth. His best event was the platform, in which he won a complete set of medals (gold: 1956, silver: 1952, bronze: 1948), adding a 1956 bronze in the springboard. His medal collection also featured four gold medals from the Pan American Games (winning both events in 1951 and 1955) and the Central American Games (idem in 1950 and 1954). He competed together with his brother Alberto, who placed fifth in the 1952 platform. But Joaquín Capilla's sports success didn't bring him luck. Damaging one of his ear drums during a show dive in New York, he descended into poverty, chain smoking and alcoholism, losing his family and his home. By 1987, he considered suicide, but religion helped him recover and he later even attempted to earn a doctorate in theology. A year after he was awarded the National Sports Award for his career, Capilla died of a heart attack.