Fu Mingxia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fu Mingxia

Personal information
Born	(1978-08-16) August 16, 1978 (age 46) Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
Alma mater	Tsinghua University
Spouse(s)	Anthony Leung (m.2002–present)
Sport
Country	People's Republic of China
Medal record Women's diving Representing  China Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona 10m Platform Gold 1996 Atlanta 10m Platform Gold 1996 Atlanta 3m Springboard Gold 2000 Sydney 3m Springboard Silver 2000 Sydney Synchro Springboard World Championships Gold 1991 Perth 10m Platform Gold 1994 Rome 10m Platform Asian Games Gold 1990 Beijing Team Event Silver 1994 Hiroshima 3m Springboard Bronze 1990 Beijing 10m Platform Universiade Gold 1999 Palma de Mallorca 3 m springboard Gold 1999 Palma de Mallorca 10 m platform

Fu Mingxia is a famous retired Chinese diver. She was born on August 16, 1978, in Wuhan, Hubei. Fu Mingxia won many gold medals at the Olympics and was a world champion.

She became the youngest diving champion ever in 1991. She won the platform-diving world championship when she was just 12 years old. Fu Mingxia is also known for being one of the youngest Olympic diving champions. She won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games when she was only 13 years and 345 days old.

Throughout the 1990s, Fu Mingxia was a top diver. She performed very difficult dives. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she won her fourth gold medal. This made her one of only three divers in the world to win four Olympic diving golds. The other two were Americans Pat McCormick and Greg Louganis.

Fu Mingxia's Early Life and Diving Career

Fu Mingxia grew up in a working-class family in Wuhan, China. This city is located along the Yangtze River. When she was 5, she started gymnastics at a local sports school. Her older sister inspired her to try it.

Even as a child, Fu showed great control over her body. However, her coaches thought she wasn't flexible enough for gymnastics. They suggested she try diving instead. At the time, Fu was about seven years old and couldn't even swim!

Fu switched from gymnastics to springboard diving. Soon, a diving coach named Yu Fen noticed her talent. In 1989, Yu Fen took Fu to Beijing. There, Fu trained at a special state-run boarding school. She became part of China's national diving team.

Fu trained very hard and quickly improved. She practiced four to five hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes, she even trained for nine hours a day. Fu would practice 100 dives a day. She became so good that her hair would sometimes touch the diving platform as she went down.

In 1990, Fu Mingxia competed internationally for the first time. She won a gold medal at the U.S. Open. She also won gold at the Goodwill Games in Seattle that summer. Her amazing dives from the 10-meter platform made her a national hero.

However, she faced a lot of pressure. At the Asian Games in Beijing in late 1990, she placed third. After this loss, she changed her diving routine. She added more difficult moves that she felt more comfortable doing.

By 1991, Fu was ready for the diving world championships in Perth, Australia. The competition was tough. Fu was in eighth place in the final round after a mistake. But she focused and ended up winning the title. She beat Yelena Miroshina, a World Cup winner from the Soviet Union.

At just 12 years old, Fu became the youngest international champion ever. She will always hold this title. After her win, the rules changed. Now, all international diving competitors must be at least 14 years old.

Fu first became famous for her 10-meter platform dives. But she also started competing on the three-meter springboard. In April 1992, she won gold on the springboard at a Chinese diving tournament in Shanghai.

Fu made her Olympic debut at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain. She was 154 cm (5'1/2") tall and weighed 43 kg (94.8 lb). Her youthful courage helped her beat older competitors. Fu won a gold medal in the platform competition. At 13, she was the youngest medal winner at those Olympics. She was also the second-youngest in the history of the Games. She remains the youngest Olympic diving champion.

Fu's success in her first Olympics motivated her for the next. To prepare for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, she trained seven hours a day, six days a week. Her only other activities were listening to music, watching TV, and getting massages. Fu said music helped her relax from the tough training.

At the 1996 Olympics, Fu was in excellent shape. She won gold medals in both the platform and springboard events. She was the first woman in 36 years to win both events at a single Olympics.

Fu Mingxia's Awards and Accomplishments

• 1990 Goodwill Games – 10m platform 1st (11 years old)
• 1991 Asian Games – 10m platform 3rd (12 years old)
• 1991 World Swimming Championships – 10m platform 1st (12 years old)
• 1992 Olympic Games – 10m platform 1st (13 years old)
• 1993 FINA Diving World Cup – 3m springboard 3rd (15 years old)
• 1994 World Swimming Championships – 10m platform 1st (16 years old)
• 1994 Asian Games – 3m springboard 2nd (16 years old)
• 1995 FINA Diving World Cup – 10m platform 2nd (17 years old)
• 1995 FINA Diving World Cup – 3m springboard 1st (17 years old)
• 1996 Olympic Games – 10m platform 1st (18 years old)
• 1996 Olympic Games – 3m springboard 1st (18 years old)
• 1999 University Games – 10m platform 1st (21 years old)
• 1999 University Games – 3m springboard 1st (21 years old)
• 2000 FINA Diving World Cup – 3m springboard 2nd (22 years old)
• 2000 Olympic Games – 3m springboard synchronized (with Guo Jingjing) 2nd (22 years old)
• 2000 Olympic Games – 3m springboard 1st (22 years old)

Retirement and Comeback to Diving

After the Atlanta Olympics, Fu Mingxia, who had won three gold medals, decided to retire. She enrolled at Beijing's Tsinghua University to study management. In 1997, she also became a delegate for the Communist Party's 15th Congress. This meant she took part in important political meetings.

Fu stopped diving for about two years. But by 1998, she started diving again with the university team. She trained on her own terms, which still meant a strict schedule. However, she reduced her daily training to five hours. She found that practicing just for the sake of it felt pointless.

As part of the university team, Fu competed in the 1999 Universiade in Palma, Spain. She won both the highboard and springboard titles. Less than a year after her comeback, she won a silver medal at the Diving World Cup.

Fu earned her spot back on the national Olympic team. She also tried a new event: three-meter synchronized diving. She headed to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Fu and her partner, Guo Jingjing, practiced together for less than six months. Despite this, they won a silver medal. The Russian pair who beat them had trained together for years.

After the synchronized diving event, Fu competed in the springboard event. She won another gold medal. Her final dive was a reverse one-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twists. She scored nines, even though eights would have been enough to win. With four gold medals and one silver, Fu became one of the most successful Olympic divers ever. She is one of only three divers to win an Olympic double-double in individual events. The others are Pat McCormick and Greg Louganis.

Fu Mingxia's Marriage and Family Life

Fu Mingxia married Antony Leung on July 15, 2002, in Hawaii. Antony Leung was the former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong. Their marriage was announced to the public on July 30, 2002.

They have three children: a daughter born on February 26, 2003, and two sons born on December 12, 2004, and April 25, 2008.

Even though Fu no longer dives professionally, she was part of the Beijing Olympic bid committee. This committee worked to bring the 2008 Olympics to Beijing. Beijing won the bid, and Fu later served as an ambassador for the event.

See also

In Spanish: Fu Mingxia para niños

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of divers