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| Human Interest | |
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General Interest | |
| Other information | EARLY NIGHTS She was advised to start going to bed earlier when the Australian Institute of Sport [AIS] worked with athletes on their physical and mental wellbeing in the run-up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She said the change had a positive effect on her. "The biggest thing for me was sleep. I knew I had an issue with not sleeping enough. But having the tests and speaking to people, it forced me to take it more seriously and I'm in bed at 21:30 now. When you get up so early in the morning to go to training you really have to protect the hours you sleep. So I've had to be harsh on my bed time. That's made a huge difference for me. Probably with injuries, but mentally as well." (canberratimes.com.au, 28 Aug 2019) BUSINESS OWNER She is the co-owner of HrdKAW Strength Weightlifting Club in Sydney, NSW, Australia. Her business partner is her brother, international weightlifter Joshua Wu. She also owns the Sydney-based activewear label Havok Athletic. "There's no perfect time to start a business, you may as well just do it now. If you have an idea or desire to start something that keeps eating away at you, then just start working towards it." (Instagram profile, 31 Dec 2021; LinkedIn profile, 01 Aug 2021; au.godaddy.com, 29 Jun 2021; littlegymshop.com.au, 07 Apr 2020; hrdkawstrength.com.au, 01 Jan 2019) COACHING She has worked as a coach at the New South Wales Institute of Sport [NSWIS] in Australia. In 2021 she and fellow Australian diver Kevin Chavez established the Australian Diving Academy in Sydney. "It's important to me to give back to diving and do what I can to help the next generation of divers coming through to be their best and get the best results possible." (LinkedIn profile, 01 Aug 2021; diving.org.au, 15 Jul 2021; au.godaddy.com, 29 Jun 2021; limitlesspursuits.com, 04 Jun 2018) FAMILY TRAGEDY She considered quitting diving after her sister Kirsten took her own life in 2014. "I had to take some time off and just spend that time with my family. It was really difficult, and still is, obviously. When really tough things happen, sometimes you don't know where to start or how to even deal with life. As I worked through things with my family it was clear that diving is a big part of my life. I know that [Kirsten] was really passionate about sport, so to have her watching over me as I compete it gives me an inner strength." (olympics.com, 07 Jun 2021; abc.net.au, 28 Oct 2015) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Ambitions | To win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. (gc2018.com, 11 Apr 2018) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | New South Wales Institute of Sport [NSWIS]: Sydney, NSW, AUS |
General Interest | |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning silver medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, VIC, Australia, and at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (limitlesspursuits.com, 04 Jun 2018) |
| Most influential person in career | Her family. (gc2018.com, 11 Apr 2018) |
| Milestones | At age 16 years and 101 days she became the youngest Australian diver to win an Olympic medal when she claimed silver in the 10m synchronised platform at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 15 May 2019) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Chava Sobrino [club], MEX |
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Sydney, NSW, AUS |
| Higher education | Commerce - Macquarie University: Sydney, NSW, AUS |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | She was affected by a shoulder injury in late 2019 and early 2020. (exclusiveinsight.com, 08 Jul 2020) She received a discretionary selection for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, after missing the trials with a neck injury. She also carried a disc bulge in her back into the Games. (couriermail.com.au, 12 Apr 2018) In early 2017 she sustained two stress fractures and a wrist injury. (geelongadvertiser.com.au, 06 Dec 2017; commonwealthgames.com.au, 14 Nov 2017) She took time off in 2013 to deal with a back injury. (theage.com.au, 12 Dec 2013; diving.asn.au, 25 Oct 2013) Her 2011 season was affected by a combination of injuries, which included problems with her hip, back and wrist. (heraldsun.com.au, 17 Jul 2011) She suffered a supracondylar fracture to the humerus bone in her left arm and nerve damage while dry-land training on a trampoline in 2003. She was unable to dive for six months. (diving.asn.au, 01 Aug 2008; NOC, 27 May 2008) |
| Famous relatives | Her younger brother Joshua has represented Australia in weightlifting. He won silver in the 77kg clean and jerk at the 2018 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia. Her younger sister Madeline won bronze in the 69kg snatch at the same championships. Australian 400m runner Jana Pittman is her second-cousin, while Australian rugby union player James Stannard is her first-cousin. (SportsDeskOnline, 09 May 2019; olympics.com.au, 17 Jan 2013, 27 Jul 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | "My older sister used to swim. When I was younger and she'd have carnivals, I'd go and watch the divers at the other end of the pool and wanted to join them." |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Swiss tennis player Roger Federer. (tennis.com.au, 12 Jul 2020) |
| Awards and honours | She was named 2020 Western Sydney Sporting Woman of the Year in Australia. (abc.net.au, 21 Sep 2020) She was named the 2010 New South Wales Young Athlete of the Year in Australia. (mq.edu.au, 01 May 2012) She was named the 2008 Young Sports Performer of the Year by Fairfax Media. (theage.com.au, 26 Nov 2008) She received the Outstanding Young Achiever award at the 2006 Commonwealth Sports Awards. (ESP Talent Profile, 17 Jan 2007) She was named Australian Junior Diver of the Year for 2005. (COC Australia, 2006) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began diving at age 10 at Parramatta Diving Club in Sydney, NSW, Australia. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | Australia |
| Tournament | Commonwealth Games |
| Location | Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Business Owner, Coach |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Woodles, Mel (sportforwomenday.com.au, 10 Mar 2011; QAS, 12 Apr 2006) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Strong minds suffer without complaining, weak minds complain without suffering." (Hanson Sports Media, 08 Feb 2007) |