Tokyo Olympics 2012: Inspiration behind Melissa Wu’s historic dive

Melissa Wu’s diving bronze medal fulfilled a promise to her mum 13 years in the making but she didn’t do it alone. The Aussie star reveals the inspiration behind her historic performance.

At the Beijing Olympics diver Melissa Wu promised her mum that she would win her an Olympic medal on her birthday – 13 years later she has finally delivered on her promise.

The 29-year-old won a bronze medal in the women’s 10m platform diving on Thursday – her first individual Olympic medal – on her mum’s birthday.

The four-time Olympian won a silver medal in 2008 in the 10m platform synchronised event, but it wasn’t on her mum’s birthday.

“We were actually laughing because she told me in Beijing that the best birthday present would be to win a medal,” Wu said.

Melissa Wu shows off her bronze medal in Tokyo. Picture: Getty Images

“That was a long time ago. I rang her and said mum I finally got that medal on your birthday that you asked me for all those years ago. We had a bit of a laugh about that.”

It is the most successful Olympic team Wu has been apart of.

She said it was the impressive performances of the other women on the Australian Olympic team, such as Emma McKeon and Jess Fox that spurred her on.

Melissa Wu’s Tokyo bronze was her firsl Olympic medal. Picture: AFP

“After seeing the first few medals, especially seeing the women leading the team, it was really special to me and inspired me to my medal.”

Wu wasn’t ready to say whether or not she would compete again come Paris. She could be back on the pool deck as a coach though having recently started coaching the young elite divers at the New South Wales Institute of Sport.