Fukuoka continues to "dream", "diving queen" Guo Jingjing diving | World Championships | Guo Jingjing
In the official promotional video of the 2023 Fukuoka Swimming World Championships, Guo Jingjing is one of the revered legendary figures. Starting from the 2001 Fukuoka World Championships, she won her first gold medal at the World Championships and has since won the women's 3m springboard singles and doubles championships for five consecutive years. She also won 4 gold and 2 silver medals at the Olympics, growing into a generation of "diving queens".
22 years later, the World Swimming Championships returned to Fukuoka, and Guo Jingjing, as an official of the FINA Diving Technical Committee, was active by the familiar diving pool, continuing to pursue her dreams for the flourishing development of world diving.
As soon as she walked into the Fukuoka Prefectural Swimming Pool, Guo Jingjing immediately had a feeling of "yesterday reappearing" and her heart was filled with excitement. Familiar venues, familiar stands, familiar pools of clear water, but everything is different.
"I am very happy to be back here. In the 2001 World Championships, I won my first World Championships championship here. I was very excited at the time, and now my mood is the same. Of course, I saw some changes in the venue, the layout has changed, and the 3-meter springboard is placed opposite the diving platform. Because diving has added many events, the number of athletes has also increased." Guo Jingjing said.
Guo Jingjing's athlete era has been brilliant. According to data from the World Swimming Federation, her sports career has won a total of 95 international medals, including 77 gold, 14 silver, and 4 bronze.
After retiring, Guo Jingjing got married and had children, but she never left diving. After joining the diving technical committee of the World Swimming Federation, she preferred to look at diving from a different perspective.
"I used to be an athlete, but now as a member of the technical committee, my different roles have given me a better understanding and experience of diving. The development of a sports event is not only about excellent athletes performing better in competitions, but also plays a key role in event operations, venue settings, and project settings. The development of diving events also depends on media promotion. I hope everyone can pay more attention to diving and the various events of the World Swimming Championships." When it comes to diving, Guo Jingjing, who has always been quiet and low-key, can talk endlessly.
Over the past decade of retirement, Guo Jingjing has always been paying attention to the growth of young athletes, without concealing her love for them. She often communicates with Chinese and foreign athletes, coaches, and referees during training and competition breaks. "Young athletes nowadays have strong abilities, good physical conditions, and the ability to demonstrate higher difficulty movements in competitions. It makes me very envious, as I used to not get as many 10 points in a competition."
"Our world diving family has an increasing population, and more people are participating in diving. In this World Championships, 261 athletes from 50 member associations participated in the diving competition. I hope that athletes from all teams around the world can enjoy the competition and perform to their best to achieve good results."
"The Chinese team has achieved many victories in every competition, and I hope they continue to work hard. I also hope that more excellent foreign players will emerge, making world diving more prosperous," said Guo Jingjing.