Debutant and Master Dive into Final

Melissa Wu, who made history as the first diver to represent Australia at five Olympic Games, has qualified to the women’s 10m Platform Final, with teammate and debutant Ellie Cole set to join her.

Following the preliminary session earlier in the day, which saw Ellie qualify in ninth and Melissa in 13th, both athletes were quick to dive into another gear, with a spot in the final on the line.

Melissa and Ellie both opened their semi-final competition with a forward 3 1/2 somersaults dive, finishing out the round ranked eighth and 15th respectively.

From there, Melissa’s experience shone through as she maintained a consistent placing across the rounds, before her final dive landed a score of 52.80 to finish in 11th with a total score of 294.10.

Ellie, 17, demonstrated a maturity beyond her years as she progressed up the rankings to record an impressive sixth-place finish, with a final score of 309.90.

Reflecting on her qualification, Ellie expressed her enthusiasm and focused mindset as she looks forward to the final.

“It’s pretty special and I’m really excited for what’s to come, I honestly didn’t expect it,” Ellie said.

“Anything can happen in competition and I’m just going to go into this final and have fun. I have nothing to lose, nothing to prove, I just want to enjoy myself and do the best I can.”

Melissa, who has been a staple of the Australia Diving Team since her first Games at Beijing 2008, knows that focusing on her processes are key to sustainable success.

“I tend to do better if I come in and focus on the process, so I’ll be doing the same in this final and more than anything, going in and trying to enjoy it and soak up the atmosphere,” Melissa said.

“I was happy with the improvement from my dives this morning and I think for me, this proves I can keep pushing through and I’m really proud of the journey I’ve had to get to this Olympics.

“To be at my fifth Games and to make the final, I’m pretty stoked with that.”

Melissa and Ellie will compete in the women’s 10m Platform Final at 11pm AEST.

Meanwhile Kurtis Mathews will make his Olympic debut on the pool deck earlier in the day, when he competes in the men’s 3m Springboard from 6pm AEST.

Article courtesy of AOC