Guo Jingjing

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Guo Jingjing

| image = Guo Jingjing 2010.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| caption =

| full_name = Guo Jingjing

| country = People's Republic of China

| formercountry =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|10|15}}

| birth_place = Baoding, Hebei, China

| hometown =

| residence = Beijing

| training =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 5 ft 4 in

| event = 3m springboard,
3m synchro

| level =

| natlteam =

| club =

| collegeteam =

| partner = Wu Mingxia

| former_partner = Wu Mingxia

| assistcoach =

| formercoach =

| coach = Zhou Jihong{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Guo-Jingjing | title=Guo Jingjing | Chinese diver | Britannica }}

| retired =

|show-medals = yes

|medaltemplates = {{MedalCount

|total=yes

|Olympic Games| 4 | 2 | 0

|World Championships | 10 | 1 | 0

|Summer Universiade| 11 | 0 | 0

|Asian Games | 4 | 0 | 0

}}

{{MedalGold|{{GamesName|SOG|2004|Diving}}|3 m Synchro Springboard}}

{{MedalGold|{{GamesName|SOG|2004|Diving}}|3 m Springboard}}

{{MedalGold|{{GamesName|SOG|2008|Diving}}|3 m Synchro Springboard}}

{{MedalGold|{{GamesName|SOG|2008|Diving}}|3m Springboard}}

{{MedalSilver|{{GamesName|SOG|2000|Diving}}|3 m Synchro Springboard}}

{{MedalSilver|{{GamesName|SOG|2000|Diving}}|3 m Springboard}}

}}

Guo Jingjing ({{lang-zh|c=郭晶晶|p=Guō Jīngjīng}}; born October 15, 1981, in Baoding, Hebei) is a retired Chinese diver, and multi-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion. Guo is tied with her partner Wu Minxia for winning the most Olympic medals (6) of any female diver{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/diving/7565650.stm|title= Guo may dive on after record gold|access-date=August 19, 2008|publisher=BBC|author=BBC | date=August 17, 2008}} and she won the 3m springboard event at five consecutive World Championships. She announced her retirement in 2011.

Career

File:Guo Jingjing.JPG

She took up diving when she was six years old at the Baoding Training Base.{{cite book |author=Yuan Yi ({{lang|zh|袁艺}})|date=2008 |script-title=zh:《青年文摘》 |trans-title=Youth Literary Digest |language=zh |location=Beijing |publisher=China Youth Press|pages=55–58 |script-chapter=zh:《美丽笑容背后的郭晶晶》|chapter=Guo Jingjing Behind the Beautiful Smile|isbn=978-7-5006-6471-0}} She started training in competitive diving in 1988, and was selected to dive for the Chinese national team in 1992. Guo first competed at the Olympics in 1996.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/46077 |title=Guo Jingjing |work=Olympedia |access-date=24 May 2020}}{{cite Sports-Reference}} Had she duplicated her performances from many other events, including the 1995 Chinese Nationals, 1995 Dive Canada, or 1996 Chinese Olympic Trials, she would have easily won gold ahead of teammate Fu Mingxia, but had a disastrous final, missing all 5 dives, and finished in 5th place. Her coach leading up to the 2008 Olympics was Zhong Shaozhen.

During the 2004 Summer Olympics she won a gold medal in the 3-meter women's synchronized springboard along with Wu Minxia, before winning her first individual Olympic gold in the 3-meter women's springboard.{{Cite web|url=http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-08/15/content_365579.htm|title=After 8 years, Guo finally makes it in Olympics|access-date=August 19, 2008|publisher=China Daily|year=2004|author=Xinhua}}

File:郭晶晶19_05.png

After the 2004 Summer Olympics, Guo became a Chinese national sports figure, with a contract with McDonald's, as well as multiple other endorsement contracts. She was later banned by the national team for excessive commercial activities, but was accepted back to the team when she agreed to focus on diving and give up many promotional activities.{{Cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=china/part2&redirected=true|title=Hanging by a Thread|access-date=2008-02-28|publisher=ESPN|author=ESPN|year=2007}} She was also made to surrender nearly 4 million dollars she had earned from her endorsements. Tian Liang, a fellow Olympic gold medalist offered the same deal as Guo, declined to pay back the money to the government, and was excluded from the Olympic games. Guo is the leading member of the Chinese national women's diving team, and is known in China as "The Princess of Diving". Guo announced on November 23, 2006, she would retire following the 2008 Summer Olympics.{{Cite web|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200611/26/eng20061126_325224.html|title=Asian Games-bound diver Guo Jingjing to retire after 2008 Olympics|author=Xinhua|access-date=2008-02-28|publisher=People's Daily|year=2006}}

Guo won two more gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At the end of the Beijing Games, Guo became the most decorated female Olympic diver,{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-08/19/content_6948208.htm|title=Talkin' 'bout our generations of divers|access-date=August 19, 2008|publisher=China Daily|year=2008|author=Lei Lei}} and tied fellow Chinese athlete Fu Mingxia, and Americans Pat McCormick and Greg Louganis with the most gold medals (four).{{Cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/tsnstory.html?id=6458788|title=China's Guo claims gold, Olympic diving record|access-date=August 19, 2008|publisher=Canwest Publishing Inc.|year=2008|author=Canwest Publishing Inc..}} Guo won the gold medal in the women's 3-meter springboard with a total of 415.35 points. The silver medal was awarded to Yuliya Pakhalina of Russia, whose score was 398.60, followed by Wu Minxia of China with 389.85 for the bronze medal.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/diving/news/newsid=227453.html#guo+golden+again|title=Guo golden again|access-date=August 19, 2008|publisher=NBC|year=2008|agency=Associated Press}} In synchronized diving, the defending champions Guo, and Wu, who won the event in the 2004 Athens Olympics and three World Championships, had led the entire competition in Beijing, winning the gold medal, with Yuliya Pakhalina and Anastasia Pozdnyakova of Russia, who posted 323.61, winning Silver.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/diving/news/newsid=190819.html#chinas+beloved+guo+adds+legacy|title=China's beloved Guo adds to legacy|access-date=August 19, 2008|publisher=NBC|author=Alan Paul}}{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=5549926 |title=China Wins 1st Diving Medal at Beijing Olympics |access-date=August 19, 2008 |publisher=ABC News |year=2008 |author=Beth Harris for the Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926221450/https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=5549926 |archive-date=September 26, 2008 }}

It was confirmed in January 2011 that Guo had decided to retire, and she would not compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was quoted as saying, "I think I have fulfilled my task, so the London Games is not what I have in mind now. The chances should be left to other talents in the team."{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sports/2011-01/23/c_13703422.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219040103/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sports/2011-01/23/c_13703422.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 19, 2011|title=Chinese diving queen Guo decides to retire|publisher=Xinhua News Agency|date=2011-01-23|access-date=2011-01-26}}

In 2016, she and her husband Kenneth Fok participated in The Amazing Race China 3, based on a CBS's travel-reality program of the same name. After competing ten Olympic-themed legs, they emerged as the winning team of the season.{{cite web|url=http://media.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0708/c40606-28535262.html|script-title=zh:霍启刚郭晶晶"妇唱夫随" 为推广奥运献综艺首秀|publisher=People's Daily|language=zh|date=July 8, 2016|access-date=October 12, 2020}}

Personal life

File:Guo_Jingjing_&_Kenneth_Fok.png

Guo's social activities after the Athens Olympics were the subject of scrutiny in Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong media news outlets.{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-03/16/content_425558.htm|title=Diving prince Tian Liang's new fling revealed in hot kiss|access-date=2008-02-28|publisher=China Daily|year=2005|author=Echo Shan}} Guo made entertainment headlines in China when the paparazzi published a photograph of her dining with Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the grandson of Hong Kong tycoon Henry Fok. Guo did not deny the relationship, and has been photographed many times with Kenneth Fok in public.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article3295429.ece|title=Diving princess Guo Jingjing enters love's troubled waters|access-date=2008-02-28|author=Flora Bagenal|work=The Times|format=ece | location=London | date=February 3, 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

The couple married in Hong Kong on November 8, 2012. On August 27, 2013, Guo gave birth to a baby boy. She had a second baby, a girl, on April 21, 2017, and a third baby, another daughter, on January 1, 2019.{{cite news|title=Guo Jingjing and Kenneth Fok's surprisingly normal life – Andy Lau and Jackie Chan might have attended the Olympic diving champion and Hong Kong entrepreneur's lavish wedding, but now the celebrity couple keep a low profile|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3120745/guo-jingjing-and-kenneth-foks-surprisingly-normal-life?module=perpetual_scroll&pgtype=article&campaign=3120745|date=8 February 2021|work=South China Morning Post}}

During Guo's history in diving, including long-term high-pressure training, damaged her knees, her retina and contributed to her myopia. In September 2008, Guo had to undergo surgery to repair a detached retina in both her eyes and her surgery was undertaken by Hong Kong ophthalmologist Dennis Lam. Earlier in 2001, she underwent surgery to repair a detached retina in her right eye, but spent only a few months out of the water. Since then, her eyesight has declined markedly.{{cite news|title=Diving queen threatened by detached retina again|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/showbiz/2008-09/12/content_7022982.htm|date=12 September 2008|work=China Daily}}{{cite news|title=A high price for Chinese gold|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-26-fg-hardship26-story.html|date=26 August 2008|work=Los Angeles Times}}

Major achievements

1995 World Cup – 1st Synchronized Platform & 3m Synchronized Springboard
1996 Olympic Games – 5th Platform
1998 World Championships – 2nd 3m Springboard
1999 World Cup – 1st 3m Synchronized Springboard; 3rd 3m Springboard
2000 World Cup – 1st 3m Springboard; 2nd 3m Synchronized Springboard
2000 Olympic Games – 2nd 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2001 World Championships – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2002 World Cup – 1st 1m & 3m Springboard; 2nd 3m Synchronized Springboard
2002 Asian Games – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2003 FINA Diving Grand Prix (Australia/China) – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2003 World Championships – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2004 World Cup – 1st 3m Synchronized Springboard; 2nd 3m Springboard
2004 Olympic Games – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2005 World Championships – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2006 Asian Games – 1st 3m Synchronized Springboard
2007 World Championships – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard
2008 Olympic Games 1st Women's 3m Synchronised Springboard
2008 Olympic Games 1st Women's 3m Springboard
2009 World Championships – 1st 3m Springboard & Synchronized Springboard

References

External links

{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012105526/http://www.nbcolympics.com/diving/news/index.html |title=2008 Beijing Olympics Diving News, images, and scores from NBC}}
[https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1819129_1819134_1825697,00.html "Guo Jingjing", number 9 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"]
{{ISHOF}}
{{World Aquatics}}
{{Olympics.com profile|jingjing-guo}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Diving Women Synchronized 3 Metre Springboard}}