From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This is a Chinese name; the family name
is Gao.
Gao Min (Chinese: 高敏; pinyin: Gāo Mǐn; born September 7, 1970
in Zigong, Sichuan) is a female Chinese diver who won gold medals in the
springboard event of the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.
Diving
career
Gao learned how to swim at the age of four. At nine, she started
gymnastics training, before she was spotted by a diving coach and
persuaded to switch to compete in diving. She won her first major
international competition - on the 3-meter springboard - in the
World Championships in 1986. Nicknamed the "Diving Queen", Gao is
one of the most dominant divers in the history of the sport.
Undefeated in world competition on the 3-meter springboard between
1986 and 1992 (including Olympic Games gold medals both in 1988 in
Seoul and 1992 in Barcelona).She tied the legendary Greg Louganis for
receiving the most international awards on one board. She is also
the only female diver to surpass the 600-points mark in the event;
and she did it three times.
Gao was chosen as the World's Best Diver of the Year by the U.S.
magazine Swimming World from 1987 to 1989 and the Woman's
World Springboard Diver of the Year for a record seven consecutive
years from 1986 to 1992.
In 1998, Gao was inducted into The International Swimming
Hall of Fame.
Post-diving
career
Gao coached in Edmonton, Alberta for many years for the Edmonton
Kinsmen Diving club, producing many national team divers and
helping to further the sport of diving in Canada.
In 2003 Gao was inducted into the Women's Sports Hall Of
Fame.
In 2005 Gao left Canada to return to China to promote her
autobiography. The book is currently only available in Chinese, but
it will be available in English in early 2007.
See also
References
China
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