Four time Olympian and NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Melissa Wu along with NSWIS colleagues Brittany O’Brien, Nikita Hains, Kurtis Mathews and Sam Fricker have been selected to wear the green and gold at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.

Competing as an individual for the first time since the Tokyo Olympic Games where she won a bronze medal, Wu finished second behind Olympian Nikita Hains to secure one of the two positions in the Women’s 10-Metre Platform.

Wu has also been named in the Women’s 10-Metre Synchronised alongside her Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal diving partner Charli Petrov (VIC) who did not compete at the trials due to injury but has been selected on the team through a special consideration clause in the Diving Australia selection policy.

Wu said she was pleased to have achieved her goal of selection, but admitted she has more to give.

“Overall, this was not my best competition, I have a lot of things to work on which I will go home and work really hard on,” Wu said.

“I think it was a good chance to have a hit out, I haven’t competed in individual for a couple of years so it’s good to be back out there.

“It definitely was a goal of mine this comp to qualify for Doha. I’m feeling pretty good about it.

“I’ve got time now to work on what I need to and hopefully come in really strong for Doha and secure those quota spots for Australia,” she said.

The Women’s 10-Metre Platform attracted the most entries at these trials and the standings amongst the top five changed regularly and right up until the final round.

“It’s great to come to competitions like this and having so many athletes, especially in my event is great to see,” Wu said.

“A lot of them are girls I have watched grow up and I’ve seen them coming up through the ranks. To have them pushing me and pushing the rest of us is really cool,” she said.

The team also includes Kurtis Mathews who will partner Tokyo Olympian Sam Fricker (NSW) in the Men’s 3-Metre Springboard Synchronised.

Mathews will also compete in the Men’s 3-Metre Springboard alongside Tokyo Olympian Shixin Li (SA) who was a convincing winner of this event.

Rio Olympian Brittany O’Brien will compete in the non-Olympic discipline of the 1-Metre Springboard alongside Alysha Koloi, with Kurtis Mathews and Shixin Li to take part in the Men’s event.

Article and image courtesy of Diving Australia

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