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Sylvia Ma

China’s diving “queen” Guo Jingjing recently announced she would once again be a judge for the Paris Olympic Games.
This marks her second stint in this role, following her debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
With a career spanning four consecutive Summer Games from 1996, when Guo was only 14, to 2008, this four-time Olympic gold medallist and 10-time world champion is considered one of China’s greatest Olympians.
Beyond her extraordinary achievements in the pool, Guo is also known for her marriage to Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the grandson of Hong Kong tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung and a vice-president of the city’s Sports Federation & Olympic Committee.
Here is all you need to know about this iconic Chinese athlete.

Early Life
Born in 1981 to an ordinary family in Baoding, in northern Hebei province, Guo took up diving at a young age as it was her parents’ initial hope to strengthen her body through sport.
Owing to her slightly protruding kneecaps, which could affect her form in mid-air, Guo had to press her legs forcefully to perfect her dives, a painful process that once led her mother to consider asking her to quit. But Guo’s determination prevailed, and in 1992, she was selected for the national diving team.
Guo made her Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games, finishing fifth in the 10-metre platform event.
Among her early achievements were a silver medal in the 3m springboard at the World Aquatics Championships in Perth and a gold at the Asian Games in Bangkok.

During her second Olympic appearance in Sydney in 2000, Guo narrowly missed the gold in the 3m springboard, winning a silver medal behind fellow Chinese diver Fu Mingxia.
In the synchronised event, Guo and Fu finished second to the Russian duo of Yulia Pakhalina and Vera Ilyina.
Beginning of an era
At the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Guo clinched gold medals in both the 3m springboard and the synchronised event.
It marked the beginning of an extraordinary period, as Guo dominated for five consecutive World Championships, from 2001 to 2009.
Guo’s quest for Olympic gold brought her to Athens in 2004, where she secured her first Olympic titles – one for the 3m synchronised springboard, along with diving partner Wu Minxia, and the other for the 3m springboard.
“At that moment, I was happy because I got not only the Olympic title, but also the valuable life lessons I learned in the process,” Guo reflected in a 2008 speech discussing her feelings about the championship.

“Success is really simple, just forcing yourself to keep practising. There are times when it is tiring and exhausting, but you have to keep going even if it is hard.”
The long and repetitive high-pressure training also took a toll on Guo, leading to retinal detachment on more than one occasion.
Despite the challenges, Guo insisted on competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won two more golds, which made her the female diver with the most Olympic medals when she retired in 2011.
Remarking on Guo’s retirement, Zhou Jihong, leader of China’s national diving team, said: “During Guo Jingjing’s career, she made great contributions to Chinese diving and created a ‘Guo Jingjing era’ on her own.”
Marriage and new role
In 2012, Guo tied the knot with Kenneth Fok, the vice-president of the Sports Federation & Olympics Committee and grandson of late billionaire Henry Fok, after an eight-year romance that played out under the media spotlight.
The couple welcomed a son in 2013, followed by a daughter in 2017 and another daughter in 2019.

Now, the celebrity couple strives to maintain a low profile, focusing their lives around their children.
Guo has taken part in various charity activities and serves as an ambassador for Unicef Hong Kong, the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation and WWF-Hong Kong.
As she prepared to take part in the Paris Olympics outside the pool, Gou said in an interview that the main differences between competing and judging were that, as an athlete, she needed to focus only on her performance, while a judge had to consider the entire event, including how to prevent unexpected issues and ensure accurate scoring.
Guo also stressed the need for greater representation in international sporting bodies, which are dominated by Europeans and Americans.
“We need more people to join these organisations so that we can have more voice and influence. This will benefit the development of sports not only in our country but also across Asia,” she said.


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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Guo Jingjing: China’s diving gold-winning queen set for judge’s role at Paris Games

Multiple Olympic gold medallist Guo Jingjing, known as China’s ‘diving queen’, will be working as a judge in Paris. Photo: SCMPOST

Guo Jingjing and her husband, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the grandson of late billionaire Henry Fok. Photo: SCMPOST

Guo Jingjing (left) and compatriot Minxia Wu celebrate their respective gold and silver medal wins at the 2004 Olympics. Photo: EPA

China’s Guo Jingjing won gold at the women’s 3m springboard at the Beijing Olympic 2008. Photo: Robert Ng

A Unicef ambassador, Guo Jingjing with children during China Children’s Week 2014. Photo: K. Y.

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Marcell Jacobs of Italy celebrates after clocking his fastest time since the Tokyo Olympics to win the European 100 metre title in Rome in June. Photo: AP

Marcell Jacobs stunned the world to win in Tokyo with a European record of 9.80 seconds. Photo: Getty Images

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Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel (centre) at the Tour de France. He and Belgium’s Wout van Aert are favourites in the road race event in Paris. Photo: AP

Hannah Roberts of the US during the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, Hungary. Photo: Xinhua

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The defending mountain-bike champion, Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock, is favourite to win gold again. Photo: AP

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Steph Curry (right) will be making his Olympic debut playing alongside LeBron James (left) for Team USA basketball in Paris. Photo: AP

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Hezly Rivera (far right) with US gymnastics teammates (from left to right) Jade Carey, Suni Lee, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles. Photo: TNS

Despite not yet being a teenager, Zheng Haohao will be skateboarding for China at the Paris Olympics. Photo: The Paper

Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

Aquatics

China

With a Games career that began when she was 14, the four-time gold medallist and 10-time world champion is one of China’s greatest Olympians


With a Games career that began when she was only 14, the four-time gold medallist and 10-time world champion is considered one of China’s greatest Olympians.


Guo Jingjing (郭晶晶)

Sydney

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Profile | Guo Jingjing: China’s diving gold-winning queen set for judge’s role at Paris Games

With a Games career that began when she was 14, the four-time gold medallist and 10-time world champion is one of China’s greatest Olympians