Construction worker He Ping never imagined his son, who was very naughty as a child, would one day be an Olympic champion diver.

On Tuesday, He Chong won gold in the 3 m springboard diving competition. He accumulated 572.90 points, 40 more than silver medalist Alexandre Despatie from Canada.

He Chong from China performs a dive during the final of the men's 3m springboard at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 19, 2008.[Agencies]

He, 21, was born in Linhai, Guangdong province. His family of five shared a 7 sq m room and went through difficult times trying to make ends meet.

He Ping said his son was not exactly a well-behaved child, prone to pranks.

At 6, He was sent to a sports school because it was cheaper than other schools.

At school he would put in more than 12 hours of training every day, determined to give his family a better life.

However, the success did not come easy.

He Chong of China competes in the semi-finals of the men's 3m springboard diving event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 19, 2008. [Agencies]

At his international debut in the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, Canada, He won gold in the synchro competition and an individual bronze.

However, a year later he tasted defeat for the first time in an international competition - the World Cup. He scored zero points in one of six dives.

"It had something to do with psychology," He's coach, Liu Henglin, said at the time.

Since then, Liu has been working hard to boost He's mental strength, and it has paid off.

He placed first in the 2007 World Diving Series and defended his title earlier this year.

"Today I did not repeat the mistakes I had made in other competitions. I performed to my best level.

"I now can call myself as a mature diver," He said.

Xinhua

China's He Chong wins men's 3m springboard diving gold medal