Cole eclipses hero Wu in Olympic diving generation game

Youth has prevailed in Australia’s battle of the two diving generations, with teenage Sydney schoolgirl Ellie Cole finishing a superb seventh in the Olympic 10m platform final, four places clear of her record-breaking hero Melissa Wu.

In her landmark fifth-straight finale, 32-year-old Wu failed to make the top-six for the first time, but the 11th-placed Sydney diver was only too happy to pass on the torch to 17-year-old Cole, who made a striking debut at the Olympic Aquatics Center on Tuesday.

“Ellie reminded me of myself a bit at her age,” said Wu, Australia’s youngest ever diving medalist at the synchro event in Beijing in 2008.

“But I did still struggle a lot under competition nerves, and she’s handled it better than what I did at that age. I find her very inspiring.”

Cole, a year-12 student from Sydney’s Presbyterian Ladies’ College, kept calm by singing songs to herself.

“I was just there to have fun,” she laughed. “I just sing to myself – whatever they’re playing in the sand – and a lot of Arctic Monkeys – and do some dancing, until I get all those intrusive thoughts away.”

She certainly looked good on the diving board, scoring a total of 333.30pts for her five dives.

That was less than 40 off the medals as North Korean Kim Mi Rae took bronze on 372.10, even if the two Chinese, champion Quan Hongchan (425.60) and Chen Yuxi (420.70), were yet again in a league all of their own. Wu scored 278.30 in the penultimate spot.

Cole will now return home to prepare for his HSC exams in October. “I do have to start studying when I get back, that’s when the grind starts.”

She felt competing alongside her idol was “amazing”.

“I loved competing with her, Mel’s so kind and very chatty. We talked during competition, gave each other like, ‘oh good luck’ and ‘good job’ side comments after each dive. It’s really special.”

Wu, who’s had to battle back from injuries since Tokyo to become the first Aussie diver to make five Games, said: “I always dive through pain, today was no exception – but it’s moments like this that make it all worth it and being able to go to a fifth Games is a pretty amazing achievement.

“I don’t think I’ve actually missed any final at any major event in my whole career, so that’s pretty insane.”

Whether she’ll try to continue her career is another matter now that she has foreign business interests, but she’s sure the future of Australia women’s diving looks in safe hands.

“The biggest things for longevity and how good someone’s going to be is in their mindset. We already know Ellie is an amazing diver, but she’s got a really good head on her shoulders too, an excellent mindset.

“That’s what is going to take her really far and I’m super excited to see what she does. I think the sky’s the limit for her.”