She also stopped following her usual diet, which caused her weight to increase sharply. During this time, Chen even tried to avoid training, using the excuse of her injuries. At the 2014 World Cup and 2015 World Championship, she was not eligible to participate in solo events. At the 2013 Barcelona World Championship, she was defeated by Si Yajie. This gives her a record equal to those of renowned divers such as Fu Mingxia, Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia.Īfter London, Chen encountered a series of setbacks. In the London Games, Chen was the defending champion of the synchronized 10-meter platform dive. She became the youngest double champion in Chinese diving. However, Chen broke that pattern and also won a gold medal in the synchronized 10-meter platform dive. Before the Beijing Games, the Chinese team failed twice to win the women's 10-meter platform dive. The 24-year-old diver is actually a veteran on China's diving team, as she has already participated in three Olympic Games. National team leader Zhou Jihong has said that Chen's injuries have on occasion hindered her, rendering her unable to finish certain tasks. Indeed, training for many years means Chen is now plagued by a number of serious injuries. "The plasters on her back are like patches," the commentator described. But I persisted and struggled all the way to the Rio Olympic Games," Chen explained in an interview after her win.ĭuring Chen's competition, CCTV commentator and Olympic champion Li Na disclosed that Chen has sustained injuries to her neck, back and waist. "I almost gave up my career because of injuries. In doing so, Chen also became the third Chinese athlete with five Olympic gold medals, earning this distinction after Zou Kai and Wu Minxia. ![]() "I feel like I can represent and motivate younger generations to want to do it even if they're different, or there's no-one out there currently who looks like them.Divers Chen Ruolin and Liu Huixia won the synchronized 10-meter platform dive at the Rio Games on Aug. "I feel really proud to be that role model in this sport," she tells BBC Sport. "After the challenges we had earlier in the year, I'm so proud of what we were able to achieve together," said Bent-Ashmeil as she reflected on her European Games success.īut while podium places are important to Bent-Ashmeil, she has a mission that can be measured by more than medals. While they will not compete at the World Championships later this month - with Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew-Jensen picked for the event in Fukuoka, Japan - with a full pre-season together, they will be major contenders for Paris 2024. "It's little tips like that which I didn't have, which I'd like to be able to share with other people."ĭespite injuries and health concerns disrupting Bent-Ashmeil and Rollinson's training in early 2023, the pair secured selection for the European Games, where a breathtaking display brought them a maiden major title. ![]() "I've learned to always grease it now and put products on straight after training so that it doesn't become weak. "When I was younger, I just used to 'relax my hair', which is not great for it, and then mixing it with chlorine is quite damaging, so it would break off a lot. "It was nice to have a role model because I did feel different around the pool when would have conversations about their hair and I didn't have that type. ![]() "I always saw Jennifer and was like 'oh my gosh, there's a black diver on the world stage' and I wanted to be like her," she says. ![]() It was similar in diving, though seeing Canadian Olympic medallist Jennifer Abel competing in major televised events gave her hope. During her time in gymnastics Bent-Ashmeil was "in awe" of world champion Beth Tweddle and even attended training sessions with the Olympic bronze medallist, but says she struggled to find role models who looked like her.
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