Melissa started her diving career at 10 years of age. She relocated to Brisbane with her family a few years later where she was accepted into the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). She begun training under coach Xiangning Chen and was able to learn a senior list of dives from the 10 metre platform at the age of 13 after just one year in the program.
Wu defeated the reigning Olympic Gold and Bronze medallists to claim Gold in her first ever Australian Open Championships and qualified for her first Commonwealth Games at the age of 13. She teamed up with Alexandra Croak to win a Silver medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, despite the challenge of competing against much more experienced teams.
In 2008 Melissa partnered with Briony Cole to claim a Silver medal at the2008 Beijing Olympic Games, making her the youngest Australian diver in history to not only compete at an Olympic Games, but also the youngest Australian diver to win a medal. By the age of 16 Wu had medalled at every major international open competition as well as winning a Gold medal at Junior World Championships.
After the Olympics Melissa began training in the senior squad under coach Hui Tong. She struggled with depression and anxiety for most of 2009 and felt she needed a change to a more supportive program, so in 2010 she relocated from Brisbane to the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) program in Sydney. She begun training under coach Chava Sobrino at NSWIS and also resumed her synchro partnership with Alexandra Croak. In the following years she medalled at the 2010 World Cup, 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, 2011 World Championships and multiple World Series events before qualifying for her 2nd Olympic Games in London 2012 as well as her 3rdCommonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.
In 2014 Melissa's younger sister Kirsten passed away and she took time away from diving to be with her family. She decided to return to the sport a few months later, which was a huge challenge both physically and mentally. Despite having to cope with the loss of her sister in 2014, Wu qualified for the 2015 World Championships in 3 events, was named the Australian Diving Team Captain and came away with a Bronze in the mixed synchro event with Domonic Bedggood.
In 2016 Melissa qualified for the Rio Olympic Games, making her a3-time Olympian. She followed this with her 4th Commonwealth Games in 2018 at the Gold Coast, where she won Gold in the 10metre individual event.
Wu recently competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where she claimed a Bronze in the 10 metre individual platform. She'sproudly sponsored by Funkita and is an Ambassador for PB Physio, Little Gym Shop and NuroKor.
Outside of the pool Melissa co-owns HrdKAW Strength and Weightlifting Club with her brother Josh Wu. HrdKAW is named after their sister Kirsten and is a strength and skill based gym specialising in Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics strength and skill training, and CrossFit gymnastics. Melissa coaches the gymnastics program, presents the education component of the Youth Scholarship program and mentors youth athletes.
When she's not coaching for HrdKAW, Wu also coaches the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Diving Target Squad, which aims to bring through Australia's next generation of Olympic divers. She also co-owns Australian Diving Academy with fellow Olympian Kevin Chavez, which offers specialist diving coaching to assist divers of all ages and levels to reach their potential.
Melissa also has her own activewear label called Havok Athletic, which is created for athletes using premium quality fabrics that are super soft and comfortable.
