Incredible start to Ellie Cole Olympics’ diving career as Melissa Wu’s career comes to an end

A 17-year-old Sydney schoolgirl is now the seventh best 10m platform diver in the world as veteran Melissa Wu also closed out her career at the Paris Games.

Australian diver Ellie Cole is into the 10m platform final. Picture: Tom Parrish

Ellie Cole, a 17-year-old Sydney highschooler, is the seventh best women’s 10m platform diver in the world after a breakout debut Olympics against a highly competitive field.

Her idol Melissa Wu, who also competed in the final, labelled Cole more advanced than she was at that age in terms of mental preparedness.

“We already know she’s an amazing diver but she’s got a really good head on her shoulders, an excellent mindset and I think that’s what is going to take her really far, the sky’s the limit for her,” Wu said.

Cole was sensational. She pulled a string of eights from the judges for her fourth dive.

But the other competitors just had something she didn’t - experience.

In fact Cole was just one of two Olympic rookies in the final - the other diver, from the Netherlands, finished 12th.

Elli Cole finished seventh at her first Olympics competition. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The final was Wu’s fifth consecutive Olympic final - an impressive feat when you consider the never ending string of injuries she has had to overcome over the past three years to be here.

“Five from five (Olympic) diving finals for such a long period is something I’m pretty proud of,” Wu said.

“I don’t think I’ve actually missed a final at any major event my whole career.

“Now I look back on that I’m very proud of myself.”

Wu, 32, could have easily hung up the togs after her gold medal synchronised 10m platform performance (with Charli Petrov) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and no one would have thought any less of her.

Melissa Wu has dived at her final Games. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana / AFP

But even the constant pain from her injuries couldn’t dampen Wu’s drive to compete and test herself against the world’s best.

Injuries hampered her preparation so much that Wu was forced to give up dryland training and rely on muscle memory for her tumbles and twists.

Wu said she had to “dive through pain” with her three events taking place over two days.

“It’s moments like this that make it all worth it.”

She finished the final in 11th - the first time in her career Wu has finished outside the six at an Olympics - a remarkable feat and she knew it - her trademark smile stamped on her face as she climbed out the pool for what will likely be the last time on an international stage.

Wu’s best performance was in Tokyo - she finished third behind the Chinese duo of Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi, who once again claimed the top two prizes tonight.

Quan even earned perfect 10s from the judges for her first dive.

Cole plans to be back in LA and is “excited for what’s to come.”

SYDNEY SCHOOLGIRL TO DIVE FOR GOLD

Melissa Wu won her first diving medal the year Ellie Cole was born.

Wu had played mentor and idol, and now the veteran and the rookie will battle for an Olympic medal in the 10m platform final.

Wu, 32, has watched Cole’s career unfold, even coaching her, while Cole has had her eyes glued to Wu since they met six years ago, desperate to follow in her footsteps.

Cole gives 100 per cent to anything she does, even studying for her HSC in her downtime in the Olympic Village.

Wu said it was just one of many qualities that gave made her believe the PLC schoolgirl could do what she hasn’t managed to do yet — beat the Chinese to a gold medal.

“I’ve literally seen her whole journey from the beginning and watched how hard she works,” Wu said.

Ellie Cole is balancing her HSC study with an Olympic final. Picture: Tim Hunter

Melissa Wu is also into the 10m platform final. Photo: Tom Parrish

“And it is not just that she’s hard working but she has what it takes mentally.

“I’ve seen her watching older athletes, she’s very focused, very driven and I think that is why she’s been so successful and is able to do these amazing things at such a young age.”

Australia haven’t had two divers in the women’s platform final for 12 years. Wu was there the last time, along with Britt Broben.

Cole said it was yet to sink in that she had made an Olympic final in her debut international competition, let alone that she would be competing alongside her long time idol Wu.

“I’ve always look up to her, she’s such an inspiration,” Cole said.

“I definitely dreamt this could happen but it is so cool that it’s becoming a reality.”

Ellie Cole is into an Olympic final in her debut international competition. Picture: Getty Images

Both divers had family in the crowd cheering them on.

For Wu it was the first time her husband had watched her compete live. Cole has a troupe of 15 family spurring her on.

Cole’s proud mum Kate said her daughter has more to give.

“She hurt her back a few years ago and it was a year in recovery and then it wasn’t healed properly, to come through that and to have peaked at the perfect time is incredible,” Kate said.

Cole got off to a shaky start, her first dive results suffered.

She said it was down to nerves having never competed in front of a crowd, cameras or lights before.

“She is normally a really calm and focused,” Kate said.

“But this is the Olympics and first time at an international competition so anyone would be rattled, to hold it together and compete like this, we are so excited for her.”

Ellie Cole's family have travelled to Paris to cheer her on at her debut Olympics. Picture: Erin Smith

The jitters were well and truly banished by the fourth round.

Cole was absolutely stoked with her performance.

“I didn’t really know where I sat in the field,” she said.

“This was definitely my goal, to make the final so now that I’ve achieved that I’m really happy with myself.”

Cole who doesn’t look at the scoreboard during the event to reduce her stress levels, didn’t think she had done enough to make the cut.

“My coach came up to me and whispered in my ear, ‘You’re an Olympic finalist’, and I was, ‘Are you sure about that?’ It was a really special moment.”

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Wu, 32, qualified through in 11th position. It is her fifth consecutive Olympic final. Her lead up to these games have been different because she was forced to cut dry land training in a bid to keep injuries at bay.

“Tall really special but as you get older it gets harder,” Wu said.

“The journey to this one has definitely been the toughest for me, the most challenging so to be in this final means even more to me than previously.”

Originally published as Incredible start to Ellie Cole Olympics’ diving career as Melissa Wu’s career comes to an end