Half a lifetime since becoming an Olympic teenage sensation, Melissa Wu has plunged into the record books again by diving for Australia in a record five Games - and reaching a fifth 10-metre platform final.
Yet while the 32-year-old celebrated her landmark performance in Paris, she was just as excited about the performance of Ellie Cole, a Sydney schoolgirl who has always idolised her.
The elegant 17-year-old actually eclipsed her hero, finishing as the sixth-best qualifier from the semi-finals with her five dives scoring 309.90 points, while Wu edged in as the 11th of the dozen finalists on 294.10.
"When I first started diving, I met her, always looked up to her. She's such an inspiration, and now being in an Olympic final with her is going to be really special," beamed Cole.
"Like, she's so incredible. Like, have you guys seen her? She's so cool."
Wu, tiny but with a big heart that's kept her forging on through injury setbacks and off the back of a dialled-back training load, defied the odds at the Olympic Aquatics Centre on Monday to reach her milestone final.
She's finished sixth, fourth, fifth and third on the platform in her previous Games, and it would be astonishing after her struggles since winning bronze in Tokyo three years ago if she could again land a place in the top half-dozen.
It was 16 years ago at the Beijing Games that Wu, at 16 years 101 days, became the youngest Aussie diver to win an Olympic medal in the synchro and just three years ago, in her fourth Games, she took her first individual medal.
But it's become a harder slog for the 1.52m-tall Wu ever since suffering a back injury during filming for reality TV show SAS Australia soon after the Tokyo Games.
It kicked off a chain reaction of other problems, including bulging discs in her neck and knee trouble which hampered her at this year's world championships.
Wu thinks those travails make this the most satisfying of all the five Games.
"They're all special but as you get older, it gets harder and harder. The journey to this one has definitely been the toughest, most challenging, so this final means even more to me," she said.
Especially with the teenager she's had a hand in guiding down the years now alongside.
"It's amazing to have seen Ellie's journey and I'm super proud of her, she dived absolutely amazingly today. I'm super excited to see what she does in the final."
At 17, Wu could never have imagined she'd have four more Games in her, especially in an event which takes such a physical toll.
"My coach always jokes that it's like cage fighting, it's a lot on the body."
So would Tuesday be the last dance for the businesswoman who's now also busy running a gym and helping up-and-coming athletes with their strength and conditioning?
"I'm really enjoying this one, just soaking it up and haven't really thought about after, but I've got my career all ready to go," Wu said.
