AUSTRALIAN diver and Redlands favourite Melissa Wu is set to make her fourth Olympics appearance at the delayed Tokyo Games this month.
Wu, who spent some of her formative years in Thornlands, won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games as a 13-year-old before making her Olympics debut two years later in Beijing.
Now 29 and living in Sydney, the pint-sized diver has a slew of international medals to her name and is part of a small, seven-member diving team set to make a splash at the Tokyo Games later this month.
Wu, who stands at just over 150cm, is coming off the back of a strong showing at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.
She won gold in the 10m platform - a career best individual performance - and placed fourth in the synchronised 10m event with teammate Teju Williamson.
Wu dedicated her gold medal to former teammate Taneka Kovchenko and rugby union-playing cousin James Stannard, who pulled out of the Games after a coward punch fractured his skull.
She will compete in her pet event in Tokyo, the individual 10m platform, after winning the 2021 Australian Open Championships in June.
The Sydneysider became the youngest Australian to win an Olympic diving medal in Beijing, but is now one of the most successful divers in Australian history.
She is going into her fourth Olympic games, making her one of the most experienced members of the Australian diving team.
Wu hails from a proud sporting family, with brother Joshua and sister Madeline - formerly of Sheldon College - both champion weightlifters.
Australia has a number of seasoned campaigners in their team for Tokyo, including veteran equestrian rider Andrew Hoy.
The 62-year-old will make his eighth Games appearance this month, having debuted at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
He is one of the favourites to carry the Australian flag at the opening ceremony.
The women's 10m platform finals are set down for day 13 and will take place at a reasonable hour for Australian viewers.
The women's semi-finals start at 11am, and the final at 4pm on Thursday, August 5.
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