Diver Li Ting to be inducted into International Swimming Hall of Fame

Li Ting, former Chinese world champion diver, will be inducted into the 2019 Class of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF), confirmed the organization on Wednesday. Li will join Zhou Jihong, Fu Mingxia, Tian Liang and other outstanding Chinese diving athletes who also received such honor.

"To become an ISHOF member not only affirmed my achievements in my diving career, but also will encourage me to work harder in the future. It was proof of China's success in water sports," said Li.

Li Ting (L) and Lao Lisha of China receive their gold medals for the women's synchronised diving 10 metre platform event on August 16, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Aquatic Centre Indoor Pool at the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. [File photo: VCG]

Born in Guilin City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China in 1987, Li started her diving practice at the age of seven. She was selected into the Chinese national diving team in 1999 and immediately began to show her great talents.

At the 2002 FINA Diving World Cup in Seville, Spain in June, Li Partnered with Lao Shiying to win the women's synchronized 10-meter platform championship. Then in October at the Asian Games in Busan, S. Korea, Li and Duan Qing won gold medal of the same event.

Li and Lao defended their title of women's synchronized 10-meter platform at the 2003 FINA Diving World Cup in Barcelona, Spain in July before attending the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece in August. Li and Lao in the final defeated Natalia Goncharova/Yulia Koltunova from Russia and Blythe Hartley/Emilie Heymans from Canada to win their first and only Olympic diving gold medal of women's synchronized 10-meter platform.

As she moved away from spotlight, Li chose to finish school. She received her bachelor's degree at Renmin University of China and got master's degree at Beijing Sport University. Today she works as an international diving judge.

Other to-be members of the 2019 Class of ISHOF include Jason Lezak (swimmer, U.S.), Otylia Jedrzejczak (swimmer, Polish), Stephanie Rice (swimmer, Australian), Britta Steffen (swimmer, German), Alessandro Campagna (water polo player, Italian), Boris Popov (water polo coach, Russian), Olga Sedakova (synchronized swimmer, Russian), Marcy MacDonald (open water swimmer, U.S.), Dr. Ferenc Salamon (water polo contributor, Hungarian) and Alfred Nakache (pioneer, French).

The induction ceremony will be held May 17-19.