 Wu at the2008 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Melissa Paige Li Kun Wu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | Woodles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1992-05-03)3 May 1992 (age 33) Penrith, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Diving | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 10 m individual platform, 10 m synchro platform, 10 m mixed synchro platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Perfect 10 Diving Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | NSWIS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Chava Sobrino | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Melissa Paige Li Kun Wu (born 3 May 1992) is an Australiandiver who has represented Australia at five Olympic Games, winning a silver medal at the2008 Olympic Games and a bronze medal at the2020 Olympic Games. 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 aNSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder.
Melissa Paige Li Kun Wu[1] was born on 3 May 1992 inPenrith, New South Wales.[2] Her father is of Chinese descent.[3]
Wu is aNSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder, where she has trained under Chava Sobrino.[4][5]
Wu began diving in 2003. The same year she fractured herhumerus bone in her left arm after accidentally landing on a trampoline, and had to halt training for six months.[4] 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 the2006 Commonwealth Games inMelbourne, where she won a silver medal in the synchronised 10-metre platform withAlexandra Croak and finished fifth in the individual 10-metre platform.[5]
In 2008, along withBriony Cole, Wu won a silver medal at the2008 Olympic Games inBeijing for the synchronised 10-metre platform, becoming the youngest Australian ever to win an Olympic medal in diving.[4] She also competed in the women's 10-metre platform, making it into the finals, ending up ranked sixth out of twelve competitors.[2]
At the2010 Commonwealth Games inDelhi, Wu won a gold medal in the synchronised 10-metre platform with her partnerAlexandra Croak and a silver medal in the individual 10-metre platform.[5]
Wu placed fourth in the 10-metre individual platform at the2012 Olympic Games inLondon and fifth in the same event at the2016 Olympic Games inRio de Janeiro.[2]
Wu competed at the2018 Commonwealth Games on theGold Coast, winning gold in the individual 10-metre platform and, with Teju Williamson, placing fourth in the synchronised 10-metre platform.[6]
Qualifying for her fourth Olympics, Wu competed in the individual 10-metre platform at the2020 Olympic Games inTokyo. She achieved a bronze medal.[7]
At the2022 Commonwealth Games inBirmingham, Wu teamed up withCharli Petrov in the synchronised 10-metre platform. Wu and Petrov achieved a gold medal.[8][1]
In June 2024, she competed atAdelaide in the Australian Open Championships. She won the Women’s 10-Metre Platform becoming the Australian Champion. The runner up was Ellie Cole who was 17 years old.[9] Wu prepared herself for her fifth Olympics,this time in Paris. No other Australian diver has been to five games. There were eight other divers in the team including Ellie Cole. Both Wu and Cole represented Australia in theten metre platform.[10]
Her club is the Perfect 10 Diving Club.[2]
In February 2025, Wu was invited to give theWang Gungwu Lecture at theNational Foundation for Australia-China Relations.[11][12][13][14]
As of 2017[update] Wu lives inSydney.[15][16] Her nickname is "Woodles".[4][2]
She is the cousin of Australianrugby union playerJames Stannard and the second cousin of Australian runnerJana Pittman.[17] Her brother, Joshua, and sister, Madeline, both train in weightlifting.[15]
Wu is 1.52 metres (5 ft 0 in) tall.[18] She has a tattoo of the Olympic rings shaped as hearts on her right leg.[4] She also has a tattoo across her left rib featuring the words "only as much as I dream can I be".[19]
