Melissa Paige Li Kun Wu (born 3 May 1992) is an Australian diver who has represented Australia at four Olympic Games, winning a silver medal at the

2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

and a bronze medal at the

2020 Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

. She has also represented Australia at five Commonwealth Games, winning gold medals in 2010, 2018 and 2022 and silver medals in 2006 and 2010. Wu is a

NSW Institute of Sport The New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) is a high performance sports training institute located in New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales government agency provides world leading coaching, performance support and daily training e ...

(NSWIS) scholarship holder.

Diving

Wu began diving in 2003. The same year she fractured her

humerus bone The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a round ...

in her left arm after accidentally landing on a trampoline, and had to halt training for six months. After winning a number of junior and state titles in 2004 and 2005, she won the individual 10-metre platform at the Australian Open Diving Championships in 2006. The win earned her a place on the team for the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, where she won a silver medal in the synchronised 10-metre platform with

Alexandra Croak Alexandra "Alex" Croak (born 9 July 1984) is an Australian diver and gymnast who is a dual Olympic representative. She represented Australia as a gymnast at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and after a strong performance at the 2008 Australi ...

and finished fifth in the individual 10-metre platform. In 2008, along with

Briony Cole Briony Chastine "Bree" Cole (born 28 February 1983) is a retired Australian diving (sport), diver who won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, silver and bronze medals at the 2007 World Championships and a silver medal at the Beijing 2 ...

, Wu won a silver medal at the

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

for the synchronised 10-metre platform, becoming the youngest Australian ever to win an Olympic medal in diving. She also competed in the women's 10-metre platform, making it into the finals, ending up ranked sixth out of twelve competitors. At the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

Dehli Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, Wu won a gold medal in the synchronised 10-metre platform with her partner

and a silver medal in the individual 10-metre platform. Wu placed fourth in the 10-metre individual platform at the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and fifth in the same event at the

2016 Olympic Games ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro d ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. Wu competed at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

on the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

, winning gold in the individual 10-metre platform and, with Teju Williamson, placing fourth in the synchronised 10-metre platform. Qualifying for her fourth Olympics, Wu competed in the individual 10-metre platform at the

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. She achieved a bronze medal. At the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, Wu teamed up with Charli Petrov in the synchronised 10-metre platform. Wu and Petrov achieved a gold medal.

Personal life

Wu lives in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. Her father is of Chinese descent. She is the cousin of Australian Rugby Union player James Stannard and the second cousin of Australian runner

Jana Pittman Jana Pittman (born 9 November 1982) is an Australian former athlete. During her athletic career Pittman specialised in the 400 metres run and 400-metre hurdles events. She is a two-time world champion in the 400 m hurdles, from 2003 and 200 ...

. Her brother Joshua and sister Madeline train in weightlifting. Wu has a tattoo of the Olympic rings shaped as hearts on her right leg. She also has a tattoo across her left rib featuring the words ‘only as much as I dream can I be.’ Wu competed on SAS Australia in 2022. Following her withdrawal from the course, chief instructor

Ant Middleton Anthony Middleton (born 22 September 1980) is a British adventurer, writer, television personality and former UK Special Forces soldier, Royal Marines Commando, and Royal Engineer in the British Army. He is best known as the former Chief Instru ...

told her "“If I could have you on my team, I most certainly would, I mean that as well.”

References

External links