Australian world champion diver Cassiel Rousseau admits to a fear of heights, but that will not stop him from trying to emulate his French grandfather by winning an Olympic gold medal.
The 23-year-old stunned the global diving community last year by denying dominant China a clean sweep at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, by winning the 10m platform event.
It was an eye-opening achievement given China’s traditional dominance, earning him Diver of the Year award from World Aquatics.
Photo: EPA-EFE
He now has his sights set on upsetting the odds again in Paris.
Should he top the podium, Rousseau would match the Olympic feat of his grandfather Michel Rousseau who won a sprint cycling gold medal for France in 1956.
That Olympics was in Melbourne, with Cassiel Rousseau looking to flip the script from a Frenchman winning in Australia to an Australian doing the same in France.
“That would be insane,” he said of what would be a unique family achievement.
“I just found out actually that he won his first gold medal at a world championships the same age that I did.”
“Then I think it was two years after that, that’s when the Olympics came around ... and he won the gold medal at the Olympics for France in Australia,” Cassiel Rousseau said, speaking on the En Route to Paris podcast.
“So I will see how I go in Paris because it is kind of the opposite of what he did,” he added.
Cassiel Rousseau came to diving late after beginning his career in gymnastics and sports acrobatics, like his brothers and sisters. It was never a path he envisaged growing up, given he does not like heights.
“I kind of have a fear of heights, and because I’d see the diving on TV and I’d be like: ‘No, I’m never doing that’,” he said, with his mother to thank for steering him toward the boards.
“My sister was trialling for diving, and mum asked me if I wanted to try as well and I said: ‘No, definitely not,’” he said.
“So mum just pretty much got me out of bed that morning of my sister trialling and she grabbed me and I was kicking and screaming. I was like: ‘No, I don’t want to do that, I don’t want to do it,’ but I eventually did,” he said. “And then I jumped off the 1m board, the 3m board and ever since then I’ve just really enjoyed doing it.”
A 10m board is a daunting step up from 3m, and one he admitted did not come easily.
“Looking up to the 10m, you kind of tell yourself: ‘Oh, it doesn’t look high at all, that’s easy,’” he said. “But once you get to 5m and then 7m you’re like: ‘Oh God, this is really high.’”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
RSS