Olympics 2024: Australia’s world champion and gold medal hopeful Cassiel Rousseau on unemployment, Paris Games

Cassiel Rousseau made waves at Fukuoka with his shock gold medal, now the young Aussie will have to continue to sacrifice in order to repeat the dose on the grand stage of Paris 2024.

Cassiel Rousseau might be a world champion but if he wants to win gold at the Paris Olympics, he’ll have to make a few more sacrifices.

Like his job, his studies and anything resembling a social life.

That is what it will take to beat his Chinese rivals, who will be fired up after the 22-year-old became the first Australian to win an individual world diving title in Japan last weekend.

He won the men’s 10-metre platform – and prevented China from claiming a clean sweep of all 13 diving categories.

Rousseau, who described his Chinese rivals as “robots” because they are so driven and technical, said he would not become a targets and he had to adopt an equally vigorous training program if he is to remain top dog.

“To keep the top spot I will have to stop working, which in terms of money and my life might change,” Rousseau said.

“And even with the studies, I might have to pause my life.”

Cassiel Rousseau celebrates winning gold in the Men's 10m Platform Final at the Commonwealth Games last year. Picture: Getty

Rousseau works as a receptionist at health spa City Cave Clayfield in north Brisbane, and studies psychology at Griffith University.

“Both have them have actually given me so much support in terms of my training, they’re very flexible,” he said.

“But it is very hard to balance everything out and still try earn money for my life and set myself up for the future with the study. At the moment it’s very difficult.

“How have I done it? I don’t know, I work hard, my mentality is just to have fun with whatever I do.

“My goal isn’t to win medals, it’s to have fun and work hard, and a by-product of that is getting the medal I just got.

Cassiel Rousseau has rocketed into calculations as a potential gold medal winner in Paris next year. Picture: Getty

“But it’s going to be hard to keep that top spot, I’m going to have to train a lot harder and a lot better.

“I know now it is possible to come first, but I’ll have to train a lot harder because I know the Chinese will come back better.

“I’m not getting too complacent with the win, I’ve just to keep my head down and keep working hard and see what happens next year.”

Rousseau’s risky four and a half forward somersault in Fukuoka won him the gold medal, with Chinese rivals Lian Junjie and Yang Hao left with silver and bronze respectively.

While he collected $20,000 in prize money for his victory, Rousseau will be reliant on sponsors to keep him afloat for the next year.

Rousseau shocked the diving world when he bested the Chinese divers at this year’s World Champions in Fukuoka. Picture: Getty

At an Australian Olympic Committee function this week to mark one year until the Games, Rousseau qualified his “robot” statement to The Sunday Telegraph.

“I shouldn’t really say robots – they get a lot more funding than we do in Australia which happens when you win so many golds,” Rousseau said.

“It’s two completely different training environments from the Chinese compared to us and all the other countries trying to get that top spot. There is a lot more pressure for me to get top spot or top three now, everybody is going to be hunting for me.

“But I honestly don’t think that’s going to affect me too much, it comes down to how I compete and train, I am a very chilled person when I compete and train, if I’m not having fun I’m not going to do the sport.” And Rousseau doesn’t need to look far from inspiration – his grandfather Michel Rousseau won gold in cycling at the 1956 ­Melbourne Olympics for France.

“Because the Olympics are in Paris, and my grandfather was a gold medal Olympian for France, that drive heading into Paris is a bigger and bigger force every day coming towards the Games,” he said.