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Aussie Diver Melissa Wu a Chinese Favourite

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

She may be small in stature, but Melissa Wu has made a big splash, both in the diving world and in China, where she has almost been adopted as a kind of distant daughter.

Although her father, Hap, was actually born in Burma and Melissa herself in Penrith, she sees herself as being an Aussie of Chinese heritage, as both her paternal grandparents are Chinese.

The locals aren't quibbling. They are more than happy to see any Wu in action and doing well at the Beijing Games, as Melissa and her partner Bree Cole did on Tuesday when they took the silver medal - behind the dominant Chinese - in the synchronised 10m platform event.

The now 16-year-old burst onto the scene as a 12-year-old and, at just 13, she not only beat Olympic gold medallists Chantelle Newbery and Loudy Tourky at the Australian Championships, but in the process made the team for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

That a 13-year-old had the maturity and composure in the cauldron of competition to win silver (with Alex Croak) in the synchronised 10m platform and finish fifth in the individual 10m platform event made more than a few sit up and take notice.

But Wu, who stands just 142cm and weighs 37kg, just takes everything in her stride, being a kid and loving the experience. In fact she spends most of her non-training time (and, we suspect, plenty of training time as well) being excited.

"The village is exciting and we're trying to soak up the experience and it's really exciting," she enthused when facing the media before her event.

Just in case diving isn't enough to get excited about, she also plays the piano and drums and writes music. It's a wonder she didn't make an appearance in the Opening Ceremony!

Murray Brust in Beijing for Citysearch

View Citysearch's TV guide for details of Olympic Games coverage.