By sportswriter Li Jia BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- She was the gold medalist four years ago in Athens, but in the Water Cube, she failed to qualify for the finals. A sad ending for Chantelle Newbery. And a little cruel if you know that the 31-year-old Australian diver will retire from the sport. Newbery, a surprise winner of the 10m platform in Athens, finished a distant 14th place in the semifinals of the women's three-meter springboard on Saturday. "I didn't make the final," she said. "My expectation here was to make the final. But competitions don't go with your plan." But Newbery has enough reasons to be proud of herself. She has not been training normally after the Athens Olympics, making a comeback from retirement just last year after giving birth to her seconds son. "I am still proud of myself. I'm proud of what I have done in this year, and I'm proud that I came here to make the Olympic Games," she said. Newbery came to the Beijing Olympics not not in her best form. She barely entered the semifinals as the 15th finisher on Friday. In the day's semifinals, she was aware of impossibility for herself to make the final as she was ranked 17th. But when Newbery stepped onto the springboard, people could still see her smile. She ended her diving career with a very good last dive, which ranked sixth in the round and lifted her total ranking to the 14th. However, it was not enough. A total of 18 divers competed in the semifinals on Saturday evening with 12 qualifying for the final. Chinese "diving queen" Guo Jingjing led the field into the final showdown. "I have competed with Chinese divers for 15 years," said Newbery. "They are always very strong. Guo is a very good diver, and I respect her very much. But it's hard to predict who will be the winner. (Julia) Pakhalina and Hartley are both strong, and my teammate Stratton, she dives better and better every day." It's the third Olympic Games for Newbery, who made her Olympic debut in the 2000 Sydney Games, and took the seventh and fourth in the 3m springboard individual and synchro respectively. In the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Newbery beat Chinese favorite Lao Lishi to win the gold in women's 10m platform. "I still remember the feeling when I won the gold," said Newbery. "I was the happiest in the world at that time. The Chinese is quite strong, and I didn't expect to beat her." "I put the gold medal under my bed," Newbery said. "Now I cares more about my future." Apart from divers, Chantelle Newbery has a different identity, mother of two sons. Jack, their first son, is 6, and Rada, the little one, is only 2. Besides diving, the thing she cares most is the two boys at home, taken care of by their grandparents. "I didn't call them, "said the mother sadly. "Because they get upset when they hear me from the phone, and I get upset, too. They will miss me more. But I called their grandparents, the boys are fine." "Now I can't wait to go home and see them," said Newbery. "When I am diving, I concentrate on my job. But when I am not diving, I think about the children all the time." After the 2005 Montreal World Championships, Newbery retired with her husband Robert Newbery, also a famous diver in Australia. 2007 Melbourne Worlds, the couple showed up on TV as Robert was the narrator, and Chantelle sat aside with their younger boy. "We cannot dive for our whole life," said Newbery. "After 2005, we felt there was no impetus in diving, and we need to find something else fun in life. But in Melbourne, the feeling to be an audience was not good. So for the Beijing Olympics, both of us have expectations." But the comeback was no easy. The biggest problem for Newbery is lack of time and energy. The 31-year-old has to take care of the two boys every day, and she need to lose some weight. She has to train 25 to 30 hours a week to go back to her best form. "The comeback is very difficult for me," said Newbery. "I have to look after my two sons, and the pressure is huge." "We take turns to look after the children," said the Athens Olympic champion. "I lost 25kg compared to last year when I just went back to training. But it is not the most important. We really hope that there can be 48 hours a day." "So I am quite proud of myself," said Newbery. "I just been back for a year, and I really made the Olympics. I am happy with everything." Her husband, Robert Newbery, who claimed three bronzes in Sydney and Athens, is accompanying her after the semifinal. Robert finished the fourth place in the men's 10m platform synchro and eighth place in the 3m springboard synchro at the Beijing Games, and he will also compete in the 3m springboard individual event. "He's quite talented," said Chantelle with a sweet smile. "We knew each other in a diving training when I was 14 and he was 12. And then he moved to my town for training. Robert is an honest and humorous man. I think I'm very lucky." The couple are always together in international competitions, which is very enviable. "We have dived together for many years, and we fight together no matter where we were. For the Olympic Games, all the effort we paid last year is worthwhile, because we love diving. But the only pity is that we feel sorry for our children," Chantelle burst into tears. "I think she did a good job today," said the husband. "Chantelle wants to make the final, but competitions can't go with people's wish. I think she's great."