Wu makes Australian diving history with fifth Olympics
Sports
The 32-year-old won silver in the 10m synchro on debut at the 2008 Beijing Games
Sydney (AFP) – Melissa Wu became the first Australian diver to be selected for five Olympics on Monday, joining an elite global group to have achieved the feat.
The 32-year-old won silver in the 10m synchro on debut at the 2008 Beijing Games and a bronze in Tokyo three years ago. She will contest the 10m individual platform in Paris. "It's a pretty incredible thing to achieve five Olympic teams," she said.
"Having made the team now I can look back on achieving something pretty special. "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."
Only a handful of other divers have competed at five Olympics, with Wu set to be joined in Paris next month by Britain's Tom Daley who will match her achievement. Japan's Ken Terauchi is the only diver to appear at six Olympics.
World champion Cassiel Rousseau also made the nine-strong Australian team and will take on both the individual and synchro 10m events.
Rousseau pulled off a stunning victory in the 10m platform at the world championships in Japan last year, denying powerhouse China a clean-sweep of all 13 gold medals. The 23-year-old has a strong bond with France.
His grandfather Michel Rousseau won gold for France at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in track cycling and his mother grew up in Paris. "In terms of our family history it's massive, I just love Paris," he said.
"Being a world champion hasn't changed my mindset on how I compete or how I see my competitors. I just want to gain more experience as I'm still relatively new to the sport."
The team also includes Anabelle Smith, who will be at a fourth Olympics. She won bronze in the 3m synchro at the 2016 Rio Games alongside Maddi Keeney, who also made the Paris line-up.
