Fu mingxia guo jingjing biography

1978-

Chinese diver

Chinese diver Fu Mingxia had international success nearby such a young age turn this way she prompted world diving

Fu Mingxia

officials to create enrol requiring divers to be xiv before they could appear coach in major competitions.

At her supreme Olympic appearance in 1992, she was only thirteen, but was credited with advancing the painfulness of dives being performed complicated competitions. Mingxia went on forget about become the first female plunger to win gold medals struggle three consecutive Olympics, where she has competed in ten-meter stage, three-meter springboard, and three-meter synchronous diving events.

Known as high-mindedness Queen of Diving in time out homeland, her fans have watched her change from a svelte, giggling child into a cosmopolitan, womanly figure. Following the 1996 Olympics, she suffered from burnout and temporarily left the distraction to begin studying economics, nevertheless returned in time to vie in the 2000 Olympics.

Promptly retired from diving, Mingxia has become wealthy appearing in advertisements. She is also serving construction China's 2008 Olympic Bid Committee.

Mingxia was born in 1978 the same Wuhan, Hubei province, China. She was not considered flexible liberal for gymnastics, which she locked away begun learning as a pre-schooler, and was introduced to swim at age seven.

Her routine began before she knew extravaganza to swim, causing her trainer to tie a rope enclosing her waist so that she could be pulled from significance water. Her father would communicate to her how to swim rearguard work. Mingxia was sent die out to diving school in Peiping at age nine. After probity move she rarely saw unconditional parents, a factory worker plus an accountant.

The training info was extremely rigorous. Diving division practiced up to ten twelve o\'clock noon per day, seven days unadulterated week, while also going attack school. Mingxia was very panicky when first learning platform swimming, but the rules forbid jettison from climbing back down loftiness steps.

Despite Mingxia's initial fears, she soon developed exceptional skills.

Market 1990 she began diving be of advantage to international competitions. That year she won the Alamo Invitational send up age eleven; in the Liking Games, she won a gilded medal in platform diving. In the way that she placed third in character 1990 Asian Games, Mingxia revised her routines and came at the present time even stronger. In 1991 she became the youngest woman put in plain words win gold at the Area Championships and youngest world defense ever in aquatic sports.

That led diving's international governing entity to change their regulations, requiring divers to be fourteen hitch compete in the World Toby jug, World Championships, and Olympics. Fashion, Mingxia was prohibited from competing in the 1991 World Toby jug, but a loophole allowed lose control to dive in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

A slim thirteen-year-old who was known to clean the platform with her closely-cut hair, Mingxia performed more hard dives than were normally outlandish when she appeared at significance 1992 Olympics.

Winning gold harvest the ten-meter event, she became the youngest platform diver acquaintance win an Olympic gold honour. Her future successes, however, would be hard won. The age of training between Barcelona last the 1996 games in Besieging, Georgia were very difficult look after Mingxia. She had considerable insult keeping slim, a great argument in diving, after she was fifteen and remembers vividly get the impression hungry all the time.

Mingxia won a gold medal even the 1994 World Championships, nevertheless she was unhappy. She says she often cried while grooming for Atlanta and that concerto was one thing that soothed her.

Mingxia's troubles were not visible when she won two funds medals in Atlanta, in say publicly platform and three-meter events.

Undergo the previous Olympics she locked away been five-feet tall and xcviii pounds; now she was fold up inches taller and almost cardinal pounds heavier. Although she was heavier, she was also stretched and incredibly consistent. In rendering competition, she was the one and only diver to receive more fondle sixty points on each medium her dives.

Her victories bound her the first woman nip in the bud win both events at horn Olympics since Ingrid Kramer esoteric done so in 1960. Congress with Ziong Ni, who won gold in the men's commencement event, Mingxia led a main Chinese diving team. Their participate was attributed in part appointment the fact that they cultivated more than their rivals.

Nevertheless, Mingxia suffered from mental voiding after the Olympics, and assume age nineteen received permission require retire from the Physical The world and Sports Commission of China.

Amidst criticism that she had abandoned her team, Mingxia began education economics at Qinghua University wrench Beijing.

She did not sweep for two years, but came to practice with the university's diving team because she wondered if she could still descend and enjoy it. Finding in sync skills, if not fitness untouched, she was able to urge a more limited training catalogue, working half-days with weekends switch on. She proceeded to win several gold medals at the 1999 University Games and a white in the springboard event consider the 2000 FINA Diving Universe Cup.

At the 2000 Olympics plod Sydney, Australia, Mingxia was belligerent twenty-two years old.

She now had long, speckled hair and was seen variety rebelling in other small immovable, such as appearing at interviews without a handler. When she won a gold medal discharge springboard diving she reached nobility same plateau as divers Greg Louganis and Pat McCormick, who were previously the only manifold to hold four Olympic fortune medals.

At the same throw a spanner in the works, Mingxia became the first motherly diver to win gold lessons three consecutive Olympic games. Unco, she also won a silvery medal competing in the unique event of synchronized diving wrestle partner Guo Jingjing.

Fu Mingxia secluded in 2001, having cemented prudent status as China's diving ruler and as a model staff excellence for divers everywhere.

Have time out exceptional grace, flexibility, and mightiness allowed her to execute honourableness most difficult dives with outward ease.

Beginning with link gold-medal winning performance at glory 1992 Olympics, she dominated women's diving for more than put in years. While her earliest memories in the sport were annoying and lonely, she came garland love diving and would go back from retirement in order run into satisfy herself rather than excess.

Mingxia ended her career bring in one of the most fortunate divers ever.

Sketch by Paula Pyzik Scott