Four years ago, Guo Jingjing, the young diving queen could have retired at the prime of her career. She had nothing left to prove. Back then, she was already a legendary athlete. She had competed in three Olympics, pocketing two gold medals at the 2004 Athens Games and two silver medals at the 2000 Sydney Games for Women's 3-meter Springboard and Synchronized Women's 3-meter Springboard.

But four years after the Athens game, Guo, known for her almost flawless posture and strong technical skill, is still going through her drills as determined as ever, eyeing her fourth Olympics. "My goal for the Olympics is the gold," Guo said. "I have come a long way to be where I am. I have done so much to pave my swimming path, why should I give up now?"

Guo's swimming career started when she was six years old. A coach in an amateur sports school at her hometown discovered her in 1987. Guo's parents gladly allowed the coach to take their only child to the training pool. "We thought some exercises would be good for her, because she was skinny as she was picky about foods," recalled Guo's mother.

The training was grueling and fraught with obstacles. The coach told Guo's father that a protruding kneecap would reduce the beauty of her posture in the air. Her father promptly set about to correct the defect by sitting on the girl's kneecap while she stretched her leg. This painful regimen lasted for two years before the kneecap defect was rectified.

Many sports are potentially dangerous, as is diving. Divers spring into the air and then quickly plunge toward the water, twisting, spinning and somersaulting on their way down. Improperly executed dives can lead to strained backs or head injuries. Guo has suffered from several injuries, mostly to her ankles. "Every time I was recovering in the hospital, my mom took care of me and got very tired. I told myself that I would take care of her when I got better. But as soon as I recuperated and resumed training, I barely had time to spend with her." As a consequence of her injuries, Guo's ankle joints often ache just before it rains. She joked that her ankle was a great barometer.

Guo debuted at the Olympics when she was 15. At the Atlanta Games in 1996, she ranked fifth in Women's 10-meter platform. "I was so excited at the games that I could not sleep without the help of sleeping pills," Guo recalled. In the 2000 Sydney Games, Guo won two silvers. After Fu Mingxia, the leading woman diver retired in 2000, Guo took over the mantle as China's number one in the women's diving team. In 2004 at the Athens Games, Guo eventually reached her full potential and won two gold medals.

After Athens, Guo did not rest on her laurels. She devoted herself to more rigorous training and has gone on to win almost all the women's diving events she competed in, except for a loss in May 2006 to Russia's Yulia Pakhalina, gold medalist at 2004 Athens Olympics for women's 10-meter platform diving.

The countdown for the 2008 Beijing Olympics has long begun. The biggest potential threat to Guo's next Olympics gold comes perhaps from her young teammates. Guo has generously shared her experience with her teammates wanting to maintain China's dominance in the sport. "I will retire sooner or later. I wish my younger teammates to make the Chinese diving team strong."

Outside the pool, Guo is the girl next door. She has many dreams as many young girls have. She once thought of becoming a doctor, or a painter. She likes writing too. Her blog is very popular, and in one month in early 2007, it logged 3 million hits. With other pursuits in mind, Guo has stated her intention to retire after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

What she is going to do after retirement is still undecided. Right now Guo's sole focus is holding up the gold at the Beijing Games in front of her home crowd. And for China's glamorous diving queen, that Olympics clock is ticking.