Australian diver Melissa Wu is an Olympic silver medallist, a world championship medallist, and a NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder.
The Sydneysider has represented Australia at four Olympic Games (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020) becoming just the third Australian diver to compete at four Olympics.
She made her fifth Commonwealth Games appearance in Birmingham 2022, becoming the first Australian diver to achieve this milestone. At the event she won a gold medal with Charli Petrov in the women’s synchronised 10m platform.
Melissa began diving in 2003, at age 10, and claimed a number of junior and state titles throughout 2004/2005. She won gold in the 10m platform event at the 2006 Australian Open Diving Championships – her first senior diving competition. The win earned Melissa a place on the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games team where the then 13-year-old won a silver medal in the 10m synchronised event with team mate and fellow NSWIS athlete Alexandra Croak.
For the 2007 FINA World Championships Melissa partnered with Briony Cole to claim silver in the 10m synchro. Melissa and Briony continued their partnership and went on to win medals at the FINA World Diving Series and a bronze medal at the 2008 FINA World Cup in Beijing.
The young diver was then selected onto her first Olympic Team for the Beijing 2008 Games. Teaming up again with Briony the pair won silver in the 10m synchro making Melissa the youngest Australian diver in history to not only compete at an Olympic Games, but also the youngest Australian diver to win an Olympic medal. At 16, Melissa had medalled in every major international diving tournament.
In 2010 Melissa moved from QLD to Sydney and joined the NSW Institute of Sport, training under coach Chava Sobrino. Resuming her partnership with Alexandra Croak, the pair were victorious in the 10m synchro at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, with Melissa also claiming silver in the 10m individual platform. The pair went on to bag another silver medal at the 2011 FINA World Championships.
Competing at her second Olympic Games in London in 2012, Melissa made the final in the 10m Individual event but just missed a spot on the podium, finishing in fourth place.
Returning to the sport she loves following a brief hiatus, Melissa qualified for the 2015 FINA World Championships in three events and was named the Australian Diving Team Captain. Partnering with Domonic Bedggood in the 10m mixed synchro event, the pair came away with a bronze medal.
Melissa went on to represent Australia at the Rio 2016 Olympics, followed by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games where Melissa won gold in the 10m individual platform. After winning the 2021 Australian Open Championships, the veteran diver was named on her fourth Olympic Team.
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the veteran diving legend will partner with 14-year-old Charli Petrov in the 10-metre platform synchronised diving.