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He's 50, one of Hong Kong's most powerful men, owns properties in three countries and has a penchant for smart cars and an eye for the ladies.

She's 23 and spent her early years in the humble surroundings of Wuhan, Hubei province, before embarking on a punishing training regime that would eventually take her to the top of her sport.

While at first glance Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung and Fu Mingxia look an unlikely couple, their paths to prominence both have a touch of rags-to-riches about them.

Ms Fu, a four-time Olympic gold medallist, is no stranger to fame but now she faces the prospect of even more scrutiny as the bride-to-be of Hong Kong's flamboyant financial chief.

Born into a small family on August 16, 1978, in Wuhan, Ms Fu was enrolled by her mother in a diving school when she was only eight. She joined the state diving team in Beijing in 1989. The daily nine-hour training session filled her childhood with hardship but also rewarded her with glory.

In 1991, as a 12-year-old, she became the youngest diving world champion. The little girl shocked the world again at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 by becoming the youngest gold medallist. Four years later, she was a double winner in Altanta.

In late 1996, she dropped out of competition and became a student at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing. 'I want to retire. I am already too old,' she said at the time. 'It's like climbing a hill. When you reach the top, there is no way to go other than down.'

Being away from the diving board for two years was too much for the Golden Girl, and Fu rejoined the state diving team in 1998. She won another gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and became the first female diver to win four Olympic golds. She is now one of China's ambassadors for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Her beauty, elegance and coy smile have not only charmed Mr Leung but also hundreds of thousands fans around the world.

They have also allowed her to become one of the few mainland athletes to cash in through multimillion-dollar advertising deals. She is now Sprite's face in China, has deals with property companies and others with cosmetics firms highlighting her smooth and fair skin. Some Hong Kong film-makers have also touted her as a future star.

News that she was stepping out with Mr Leung broke after they met for the first time at a public function in March last year. Some reports said Mr Leung was fond of her at first sight and taught her how to play electronic games on his personal digital assistant. Ms Fu told reporters she found Mr Leung 'a nice man'.

Until yesterday, the pair had denied rumours of romance despite being seen going out together in Hong Kong and Beijing.

The diving diva's almost perfect public appearance record was once stained by an embarrassing outfit. In February last year when she became Coca-Cola's new China spokeswoman for Sprite, Ms Fu appeared at a press conference in Guangzhou wearing a pair of figure-hugging trousers emblazoned with English-language expletives.

Ms Fu, who apparently does not speak English, was unaware of the fashion faux pas until it was pointed out to her by the press pack.

Mr Leung was born in Hong Kong in 1952. He grew up with eight siblings in a tiny flat in Sheung Wan. His father worked in a restaurant.

Graduating with flying colours from Ying Wa College in 1970, he studied economics at the University of Hong Kong - an education made possible only by several grants and scholarships - and graduated in 1973. He completed the Harvard Business School's Programme for Management Development in 1982 and the Advanced Management Programme in 1999.

Before taking up his post as Financial Secretary in May last year, Mr Leung was the Asia-Pacific chairman of J P Morgan Chase, making an estimated $10 million a year.

Mr Leung now earns $215,000 a month and lives in a government residence - a 6,000-square-foot colonial-style villa in Shouson Hill Road - and is chauffeured to and from work.

According to documents released by the Executive Council in 2000, Mr Leung, then an Exco member, bought a house in Dongguan, Guangdong, taking his tally of properties to 10. He has properties in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Hawaii and Singapore.

The finance chief has been linked with several attractive women since he divorced in 1998 and rumours abound about dates with a former bank colleague.

Mr Leung confirmed his divorce from Sophia Tam Suk-fun in February last year. But he denied having an affair with the long-time colleague named in some newspaper reports.

'A very difficult call that I made this morning was to this colleague's husband, who is also a close friend, to apologise for the inconvenience caused by the erroneous report to him, his family and relatives,' he said at the time.

In December last year, he was seen shopping in Sogo in Causeway Bay with Ye Jingzi, granddaughter of vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Ye Xuanping. Ms Ye is also a friend of Ms Fu and acts as her agent.

When Mr Leung was also spotted dating actress Flora Chan Wai-shan, he gave a cool response to reporters' questions.

'I am not going to talk about my private life. The Hong Kong media is interested in this aspect. We all understand the way the media works. I do not know any of the two people [Fu and Chan] you just mentioned,' he said.

Graphic: ANT24GET



Unlikely couple who share humble past and will to win