Minxia Wu

Nickname

Xia xia. (vickyxia.blog.sohu.com, 19 Feb 2008)

Hobbies

Listening to music, reading and watching television. (NOC Media Guide 2004, Athlete, 19 Feb 2008)

Occupation

Athlete

Education

Business Management - Renmin University of China, Beijing, CHN

Coach

Liu Henglin (CHN) from 2002 (china.org.cn, 11 Jul 2011)

Injuries

A muscle strain meant she had to withdraw from a 3m springboard final during the 2010 FINA Diving World Series. (chinadaily.cn, 31 Mar 2010)

She suffered a hip injury in 1999 and injured her lower back during training in February 2007. (Athlete, vickyxia.blog.sohu.com, 19 Feb 2008)

Additional information

Start of sporting career
She began diving at age six. (BBC, 26 Jul 2010)

Reason for taking up this sport
She was wanted by coaches from a local dance class as well as the local diving team, but her parents picked diving because it was closer to their house. She always thought of diving as something to amuse her, but grew increasingly fond of it the more she did it. (Korea Times, 29 Aug 2003, baike.baidu.com, 19 Feb 2008)

Training
She practises dives for up to four hours each day. (BBC, 26 Jul 2010)

Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning gold with Guo Jingjing in the 3m synchro springboard event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and beating Guo Jingjing in the 1m and 3m springboard events as part of winning three gold medals at the 2003 World Student Games in Daegu, South Korea. (Korea Times, 29 Aug 2003, Athlete, 19 Feb 2008)

Superstitions / Rituals
Just before taking off with a dive she says she feels anxious, on the edge and sometimes even scared. She repeatedly pictures the motion in her head to boost her confidence, then leaps. (Korea Times, 29 Aug 2003)

"I feel bad if I don't touch water for a day. Especially on weekends, when I cannot be in the water, I feel terrible." (womenofchina.cn, 1 Nov 2006)

Sporting philosophy / motto
"Be brave to face failure and learn to grow up in your failure," and "If you are able to cheer for your opponents then you've already won the competition." (Athlete, vickyxia.blog.sohu.com, 19 Feb 2008)

"As an athlete, provided you are strict with yourself, you will be rewarded. I don't focus too much on the results. I just want to do my best and not have any regrets." (womenofchina.cn Nov 2006)

General
FABRICATED SCANDAL
She was at the centre of a love scandal in 2003, when a tabloid newspaper in Hong Kong published a paparazzi photo of her and Olympic Games champion Tian Liang with a report that said the two athletes were together. The newspaper later admitted it had fabricated the story in an attempt to boost its circulation. (China Daily, 25 Mar 2005)

STUDY AND TRAINING
While at university she and her teammates stayed in a special athletes-only dormitory and trained for three full days and four half days every week. The training schedule meant they could rarely attend classes and were visited in their dormitories by professors in order to maintain their studies. (Korea Times, 29 Aug 2003)

Previous Olympics

Beijing 2008, Athens 2004