Australian star Melissa Wu becomes first diver to go to five Olympics
Melissa Wu has her eyes set on delivering a fairytale medal in Paris after becoming first Australian diver ever to compete at five Olympics.
The 32-year-old declared it was “something pretty special” after her place as part of a nine-diver team locked in for the Games was confirmed.
Wu, who first competed in the Olympics as a 16-year-old in Beijing, has both a silver and a bronze medal on her resume but having overcome a series of injuries in recent years said making the team again was “incredible”.
“It’s a pretty incredible thing to achieve five Olympic teams,” she said.
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“Having made the team now I can look back on achieving something pretty special.
“Getting through trials, I knew it was going to be tough, there’s so many talented young athletes coming through. Now I can set my sights on Paris – I’ll focus on the process, if I can get that right hopefully the result will take care of itself.
“I’ve been lucky to have a really long career. I’ve had a few injuries the past few years and my diving hasn’t been the best, but now I feel like I’m finally getting back into form and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to continue to work back towards what I know I’m capable of.”
Wu joins world champion Cassiel Rousseau and Domonic Bedggood, who will both contest their second Olympics, while Jaxon Bowshire, Kurtis Mathews, Alysha Koloi and Ellie Cole will all make their debut.
Wu and Cole, the oldest and youngest team members, will contest the 10m individual, Keeney and Smith the 3m synchro and Keeney and Koloi the 3m individual. On the men’s side, Rousseau will contest the 10m individual and partner with Bedggood in the 10m synchro, Bowshire the 10m individual, and Mathews the 3m individual.
Koloi is one of four debutants on the team and said she was “overjoyed” to be going to Paris.
“The Olympics has always been the dream, but it’s really only felt like an achievable goal in the last 12 months,” she said.
“In the last 12 months I’ve really progressed as a diver both mentally and physically. This is the top, the pinnacle of my career so far. I want to hit the event hard in Paris and show my best.”