Olympic medallist Melissa Wu will join Aussie teenager Ellie Cole in the 10m platform final, in a 12-year first for Australian diving in Paris.
Wu, 32, qualified in 11th position for her fifth consecutive Olympic final, while Cole, who’s sneaking in study for the HSC at the Olympic village, qualified sixth.
It’s a surreal moment for Cole, who idolised Wu after the pair met six years ago.
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“When I first started diving, I met her, always looked up to her. She’s such an inspiration, and now being in an Olympic final with her is going to be really special,” Cole said.
“Like, she’s so incredible. Like, have you guys seen her? She’s so cool.”
Paris is the fifth Olympics for Wu, who won bronze at Tokyo in the 10m platform. In her previous attempts in the event Wu finished sixth, fourth, fifth and third.
While she snuck into the final among the 12 competitor field, Wu, who became the youngest Aussie diver to win an Olympic medal in the synchro in Beijing, has had to endure several injury problems after suffering a back injury during filming for a reality TV show soon after Tokyo.
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That also led to neck problems and a troublesome knee which forced Wu to change her training methods to help her body recover better.
She said the circumstances surrounding this tilt at an Olympic medal have made the pursuit all the more special.
“As you get older, it gets harder and harder. The journey to this one has definitely been the toughest, most challenging, so this final means even more to me,” she said.
“I’m really enjoying this one, just soaking it up and haven’t really thought about after.”
She said witnessing Cole’s qualification for the final also gave her a sense of pride.
”It’s amazing to have seen Ellie’s journey and I’m super proud of her, she dived absolutely amazingly today. I’m super excited to see what she does in the final.”