Tinged with sadness: Minxia Wu of China celebrates her gold medal in women's Synchronised 3m Springboard. She was then told the devastating secretWinning an Olympic gold should be a moment of great joy for any athlete at London 2012.
But for Chinese diver Wu Minxia securing her golden hat-trick on Sunday at the Aquatic Centre in east London was followed by shock and sadness.
Straight after a triumph in the women's Synchronised 3m Springboard that made her a legend in her sport, the 26-year-old's family decided it was the right time to tell her a devastating family secret.
They admitted to their daughter that her grandparents died - over a year ago. And instead of telling her, they kept it back.
Wu's family also revealed that her mother had been battling breast cancer for several years, something Wu had no idea about.
Wu Minxia of China, left, was told her mother had been battling breast cancer for several years, something she had no idea aboutThe reasoning was clear: they wanted her to win at all costs and didn't want family matters to interfere with her diving career.
Wu, who with teammate He Zi won the last two synchronised gold medals in Athens and Beijing, was an overwhelming favourite to win gold again and successfully lead China's quest to unite every Olympic and world diving gold medal.
She was under intense pressure to succeed - and so were her family.
Father Wu Yuming said: 'It was essential to tell this white lie.'
China's Wu Minxia and He Zi dive during the springboard diving event at the London 2012 Olympic GamesWu began diving training at the age of six, and left home at 16, bound for a government aquatic training institute.
She is one of her sport's brightest stars, and part of that is thanks to the price paid in her personal life.
'We accepted a long time ago that she doesn't belong entirely to us,' Wu Yuming told the Shanghai Morning Post.
'I don't even dare to think about things like enjoying family happiness.'
source: dailymail
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