Diving queen shares her determination to succeed
Olympic diver Ms Guo Jingjing won multiple gold medals in the three-metre springboard before she retired in 2010. The world champion shared her path to success in a public lecture, titled 'Splashing for Lights, Chasing our Dreams', with a full-house at PolyU’s Jockey Club Auditorium in November 2022.
In a brief recapitulation of her 22-year career as a professional diver, Ms Guo spoke about her luck being selected for the national team, the joy she felt the first time she was crowned world champion at the age of 14, and the tears she shed while enduring the hardship of endless training. Despite encountering adversity, including a bone fracture, she never gave up on her dream. Her hard work paid off and she was double runner-up in three-metre springboard individual and synchronised at the Sydney Olympics Games in 2000, as well as twice being double champion in the same events at the Athens Olympics Games in 2004 and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. In addition, she won many first-place podiums at the World Cup, Asian Games and the National Games of China.
Talking about her diving career, Ms Guo said: “Success is not about persevering when you see hope, but about persevering to see hope. Success is to compel yourself to be perseverant.” She explained that when she felt like quitting, she just tried to hold on a little longer. She encouraged students in the audience to be courageous when pursuing their dreams and to contribute to the Nation and society.
Success is not about persevering when you see hope, but about persevering to see hope.
~ Ms Guo Jingjing