Diving

Although China have dominated the action up until this point, one of the most treasured gems in the diving crown remains open to a host of participants this weekend.

The men’s 10-metre platform final is the only diving event to take place on Sunday, 28 July, with as many as 10 individuals currently looking like possible suitors for the gold medal spot.

That being said, none of the 12 athletes can be ruled out when it comes to the actual event of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWzEjFKaU2c

China were already left stunned in the synchronised men’s 10-metre platform final, where it was Germany who managed to take gold away from Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan, the reigning Olympic champions in that practice.

Now, Chinese hopes in the individual event rest with Qiu Bo, a former star performer of the 2011 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Beijing and a silver medallist of the 2012 Olympics.

However, Bo could only manage a sixth-place qualifying position in Saturday’s semi-final, missing out to a host of other star talents.

At the head of that particular queue lies the USA's David Boudia, the man who beat Bo to the gold medal at London 2012 but has never won the accolade in an individual event at the World Championships.

The American is one of the older athletes in Barcelona at 24 years old, but he has shown himself to be an experienced mind, even going as far as to reveal his pre-dive preparation on Twitter:

Going through to Sunday’s final with a score of 534.40, Boudia has fended off the considerable talents of Ivan Garcia, German Sanchez, Sascha Klein and Russian Victor Minibaev, all of whom lie between him and Bo based on semi-final scores.

So, considering the Chinese athlete’s good standing within the diving community, it becomes clearer as to just how many people could realistically compete for first place in the men’s 10-metre platform.

That’s without mentioning the minnows behind Bo who may yet surprise, too. Great Britain’s Tom Daley, Cuba’s Jeinkler Aguirre and Andrea Chiarabini of Italy were all close to the Asian’s score and may yet pose a threat to Boudia’s talents.

The Mexican pair of Garcia and Sanchez will be of particular interest, one of the only national couples to make it to the final and with high ranking at that.

Given his recent displays, it’s obvious that Boudia heads into Sunday’s proceedings as favourite to win, but with another set of dives comes the opportunity for just about anyone to spoil his parade.

Since Tom Daley earned a bronze medal for the United Kingdom in his second Olympic Games in 2012, it appeared that the now 19-year-old was destined for even greater things given his youth. 

However, the 2013 season hasn't been nearly as successful as one might have hoped for the young Englishman. 

The season started out promising with Daley winning the 10-meter platform event at the World Series in Edinburgh. Despite telling BBC Sport that he lacked motivation after the Olympics, he was in top form as he beat the four-man field in the first big event of the season.  

However, that would serve as the highlight of his season thus far. Daley suffered a torn tricep injury that would keep him out of three grand prix events in Mexico and the United States and prevented him from defending his 10-meter platform European Championship in June, per Ben Riley Smith of the Telegraph. 

Returning to top form after just missing out on some of the biggest diving events of the season is no small task, but Daley is no ordinary diver. 

As coach Andy Banks told the Telegraph, he's made great strides in his recovery and should put on a show in Barcelona:

While I believe there is no such thing as luck, just preparation, this time the preparation is a bit out of the window – but he is Tom. He’s got back in the pool, and put the strength and conditioning bit back together and he actually isn’t looking too bad. He is diving well, he is on the 10m and there are no problems.

You can't put too much stock in what Daley's own coach says. It's unlikely he would say anything that wouldn't boost the confidence of his athlete, but Daley's ability to rally from a lack of motivation after the Olympic Games is a strong indicator that he will be back in top form. 

Daley told the Telegraph that this World Championship event was among the first things that crossed his mind when he suffered his injury:

My injury was quite a shock to me and I was a bit deflated...The first thing that came into my head was the Barcelona World Championships. Was I going to get back to fitness by then? It’s been pretty close to the competition to actually start getting back up onto the 10m board, but I’m just hoping to go out there and do six solid dives.

Daley and Daniel Goodfellow will represent Great Britain in the 10-meter platform starting on Saturday when the preliminary and semifinal will take place, with the final occurring on Sunday. 

Chinese divers Si Yajie and Chen Ruolin ruled the pool Thursday at the 2013 Diving World Championships. The talented duo won gold and silver medals in the women's 10-meter platform, which was the only final event on the afternoon.

Though it's no surprise China dominated, it was somewhat shocking that 14-year-old Si won the event over Chen, who has long been a top diver, as noted by Nick Hope of BBC Sport:

Ukrainian diver Iulia Prokopchuk finished in third place to claim the bronze medal to round out the top three. 

Here's a look at the final standings for the women's 10-meter platform dive, courtesy of FINA.org:

The emergence of Si over Chen marks a new era in Chinese diving dominance. Si, at the age of 14, will likely enter the 2016 Olympic Games with a target on her back. She's the new face of women's platform diving, as noted by former swimmer Karen Pickering:

After her breakthrough performance, Si was excited about her win, as noted by Derek Parr of Fina.org: "Overall, my performance was quite good, especially the first four dives where I was consistent. I am very excited with this gold. Secret for success? Train hard and not be lazy!"

Before the ladies started launching themselves into the water from three stories high, the men's three-meter springboard competition was kicking into high gear.

Jack Laugher of Great Britain put together a brilliant series of dives in the preliminary round, finishing the opening session in first place. By the end of the day, however, Laugher had failed to duplicate his performance and was ousted in the semifinals, finishing in 16th place, as noted by British Swimming:

While Laugher sputtered in the semifinals, Chinese divers Qin Kai and He Chong put on a show.

The duo won gold together in the men's three-meter synchronized springboard competition Tuesday and finished Thursday's semifinals in first and second place, as noted by the AP:

Russian diver Evgeny Kuznetsov finished the semifinals in third place with a fine performance that proves he's capable of making the podium Friday. 

Here's a look at the semifinals results, courtesy of Fina.org:

Interestingly enough, Qin and He didn't perform particularly well in the preliminary round, finishing in sixth and ninth place. But when they needed to step up their games and perform with acumen in the semifinals, they got the job done.

It will be a shock if they don't finish in first and second place on Friday.

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78 

There are just three more gold medals to win at the Diving World Championships in Barcelona, and they’re sure to be highly contested.

China has been absolutely destroying its competition over the last few days, and it’s expected the country will add to its championship-leading medal total. The Chinese have won six gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals. Here’s a look at the current medal table after Thursday’s events:

Li Shixin has arguably been China’s most dominant competitor, even though he’s only participated in one of the events. He didn’t get off to the best start at the one-meter springboard, as he was 5.65 points behind the leader after four dives. He was awarded 86.7 points for his fifth, and that gave him an 11.2-point lead.

Shixin was outstanding in his sixth and final dive of the day, as he was awarded 87.45 points for his performance. That gave him 460.95 points in the event, which was 26.65 points more than any of the other competitors. His late spurt was very impressive, and his country is definitely appreciative of the gold-medal victory.

Qin Kai and He Chong took home the gold in the synchronized three-meter springboard, and, through four events, the Chinese women have yet to be defeated. It wouldn’t be surprising if China won the final three events of the Diving World Championships to finish the week with nine gold medals.

While China is running away with gold medal after gold medal, here’s a look at two other countries to watch in the final three events in Barcelona.

 

Russia

The Russians have yet to capture a gold medal at the Diving World Championships, but the country has two prime opportunities in the final men’s events. The three-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform are both events in which Russia should bring the heat and give China a run for its money.

In the three-meter springboard, Ilya Zakharov is the contender to look out for. He has already won one medal in Barcelona, as he and Evgeny Kuznetsov finished in second place in the synchronized three-meter springboard. Zakharov won the gold medal in the three-meter springboard at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Victor Minibaev is another Russian you need to keep an eye on, as he tries to win the gold in the 10-meter platform. He also has a medal already, and, just like Zakharov's, it’s silver. He and Artem Chesakov finished in second place in the synchronized 10-meter platform. By himself, he may have what it takes to get Russia a gold medal.

Germany

Germany is the only country through the first seven events to take down the Chinese. The Germans took the gold in the synchronized 10-meter platform with a strong performance from Sascha Klein and Patrick Hausding. That’s the only medal the Germans have to this point in Barcelona, though.

It might not be the last. Germany has a good shot at winning another gold in the 10-meter platform. Both Klein and Hausding are on the starting list for the event, and since they already took the competition by storm once earlier at the Diving World Championship, they are definitely two contenders to watch.

The men’s three-meter springboard is going to be tough for the Germans to win, but expect to see some magic in the final women’s event. Tina Punzel is the lone German on the three-meter springboard starting list, and she could turn some heads with a strong performance. She may not win, but she could certainly medal in the event.

All statistics were obtained via FINA.org unless otherwise noted.

Outside of the Olympics, there are no bigger events in the world of competitive diving than the Diving World Championships. With just four days left for competitors to add to their respective country's medal count in Barcelona, the action is sure to get even more intense. 

China has already dominated through the first five days of competition. Heading into Thursday's competition they've earned five of the six gold medals up for grabs and lead the table with seven total medals, per FINA.

At this point, China's domination of the board is fairly evident, but there are still four more events that have yet to play out that will either see them expand their lead throughout the week or if the gap can be narrowed by other countries. 

Let's take a look at the remaining finals. A complete schedule can be found on FINA's site. 

Women's 10-meter Platform

With all of the synchronized events now completed, the focus of the championships will now shift to individuals, and that begins with the women's 10-meter platform final. 

If Thursday's preliminaries and semifinal are any indication, it should be a close competition. The starting list includes contenders such as China's Si Tajie and Chen Ruolin, who will be considered favorites to keep their country's streak of dominance alive. 

However, they'll face strong challenges from Great Britain's Tonia Couch, who posted the second-highest score in the semifinals at 368.15 and Malaysia's Pandelela Rinong, who finished No. 2 in the preliminary round. 

Si and Chen may have won the prelims and semifinal respectively, but they aren't invincible. Either Couch or Rinong are capable of beating them in any given round, and this could be the place for an upset. 

Men's 3-meter Springboard

One of the most electrifying events in the competition, the men's three-meter springboard is going to provide fans with plenty of entertainment as He Chong returns to defend his FINA title from the 2011 championships in Shanghai. 

Defending that title won't be an easy task. 

He was a bronze medalist in the event in the 2012 Olympic games and both the silver medalist (Qin Kai) and gold medalist (Ilya Zakharov) are on the starting list for the event. 

This should be a tightly contested fight between the three Olympic medalists throughout the prelims, semfinal and final. 

Women's 3-meter Springboard

For the first time in years, there's some real mystery involved as to who will win the Women's individual three-meter springboard. 

Reigning world champion and Olympic gold medalist Wu Minxia is not on the starting list for the event and thus leaves the race for the gold wide open. 

China isn't without contenders, though. Both He Zi and Wang Han will represent the country after earning gold and bronze respectively in the one-meter event earlier in the week. However, silver medalist Tania Cagnotto will also be in the hunt. 

Men's 10-meter Platform

Wrapping up the international event on Sunday will be the men's individual 10-meter platform. 

The synchronized version of this event gave us the first real upset of the week when Germany became the first country to beat China for a gold medal. Representing Germany in the starting list for the event will be Sascha Klein and Patrick Hausding, who formed the team that took gold. 

Russia will also have a strong presence in the finale. Victor Minibaev was one half of the team that took the silver medal in the synchronized event and should have a strong showing as an individual. 

There was only one event on the docket at the 2013 Diving World Championships in Barcelona on Wednesday. The preliminaries and semifinals of the Women's 10-meter Platform Diving event took place on the afternoon, and a familiar face will enter the final as the favorite. 

Chen Ruolin finished third in the preliminaries, but rebounded to finish as the top qualifier during the semifinals. The two-time Olympic champion in the event finished with a score of 373.65, edging out Tonia Couch by roughly five points for the right to go last in the final on Thursday. 

Ruolin has been in this position before. She captured gold for China in the platform final in Beijing in 2008, and followed up that stellar international debut with a repeat performance in London in 2012. 

Associated Press writer Paul Newberry had the tweet as Ruolin celebrated her first-place finish in the semifinals:

Couch, Si Yajie, Roseline Filion and Maria Kurjo rounded out the top five. Yajie was the top performer in the preliminary round, but it was Ruolin's late charge and consistent dives that allowed her to pass her Chinese teammate at the end of the semifinals. 

Great Britain's Sarah Barrow finished sixth. According to BBC Sport, Barrow and Couch both making the final marks the first time Great Britain has had two women finalists at the World Championships in the event. 

Thirty-six women competed in the preliminary round, but only 18 moved on to the semifinals. As mentioned, Yajie was the top performer in the field during the opening round.

The youngest competitor to reach the finals, Ruolin's Chinese teammate had a score of 44.55 for her fourth dive and it kept her out of the mix for the top spot. Only Iuliia Prokopchuk (34.80 on third dive) had a lower score among those that reached the finals. 

Yajie would finish third even with the disappointing score and will be in a good position to challenge for the gold medal on Thursday. 

Couch was the overall leader after the second, third and fourth rounds of the semifinals. Her 83.20 dive in the second round was the best score of any of the 18 competitors in the second round, and she had a lead of 2.45 points heading into the final dive. 

As you can see from this Women's Sports News tweet, Couch was impressive during the majority of her dives on Wednesday:

She would falter in her final dive, though, posting the worst score (68.85) of her five attempts. That miscue, coupled with Ruolin's 76.80 in her final dive, pushed Couch to second in the standings and allowed Ruolin to take the overall lead prior to the final. 

Ruolin is seeking what would be her sixth gold medal in a diving event at the World Championships. Her fifth came on Monday in the 10-meter Synchronized Platform event with partner Liu Huixia. Singapore Netizens had this tweet as Ruolin captured that victory on Monday:

Ruolin and her Chinese teammates have captured five of the first six diving titles so far in Barcelona. 

A somewhat slow start in the preliminaries for Ruolin was erased in the finals. Four other women who would not have made the finals (the top 12 earn that honor) based on their finish in the preliminary round rebounded to grab a spot in Thursday's finale. 

Filion and Kurjo would have both been on the outside looking in if the preliminary scores were all the judges took; however, both finished inside the top five in impressive fashion. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCCtdd2L2Qs

Victoria Lamp, the American who finished 18th in the preliminaries and barely made it into the semifinals, and Laura Marino were the other two women who did enough to improve their first-round performance in the form of a finals bid. 

One of the most confusing appearances in the semifinals came from Pandelela Rinong Pamg. Her first and third dives were the highest of any woman in the field, but her other three scores (14th, 17th and 17th) left her sitting at eighth in the standings at the conclusion on Wednesday's action. 

Pamg will be a dark horse to crack the top three and reach the podium on Thursday. 

The United States' chances to pull off an upset and win the gold medal are already slim. As noted by Newberry, they got slimmer when Lamp's teammate was eliminated from contention:

Cozad will be a replacement for the finals, along with Russia's Ganna Krasnoshlyk. 

The Women's 10-meter Platform Diving final will commence at 5:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET) on Thursday. For a detailed look at the order in which the 12 finalists will compete, check out FINA.org. 

Ruolin is leading, Couch and Yajie are charging and a host of other women will look to dethrone them all when the action picks back up in Barcelona in the final.

Smart money sides with the two-time Olympic champion, but don't discount the podium looking different than the top-three standings did on Wednesday. 

Follow B/R's Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter. 

To no one's surprise, Chinese divers outclassed their opponents on Tuesday at the 2013 Diving World Championships, though there was some stiff competition. 

There were two events on the schedule on Day 4 of this competition—the women's 1-meter springboard final and the men's 3-meter synchronized springboard final. 

Qin Kai and He Chong dominated the men's springboard, winning by over 20 points, while He Zi won her second world title on the 1-meter springboard by the smallest margin ever in world diving championships, as noted by The Daily Star:

There was apparently quite a crowd of athletes on hand to watch the men duel in the pool, as noted by FINA:

Here's a look at the results from Tuesday's action, courtesy of FINA.org:

Top Performers 

He Zi, China

Grace under pressure.

That's what we saw from He Zi on Tuesday, as she fought off hard-charging Tani Cagnotto to win her second world championship golf medal in the women's 1-meter springboard. 

He, who won the gold medal in this same event during the 2012 Olympic Games, was gracious in her post-dive interview, as noted by FINA.org's Derek Parr:

I was a bit surprised with the victory, but I am obviously very happy. Wang and I performed very consistently and the outcome was highly positive. Before the last dive, I was really nervous because the notes were very close. I managed to remain concentrated and I got the gold.

As noted in the opening, her winning score of 307.10 was only .10 higher than that of Cagnotto, who put together a strong final. 

Of particular note to He's performance was her final dive.

Heading into the last dive, she was down by five points to Cagnotto. Summoning all of her will and skill, He put together the best dive of the event—a "reverse 1-1/2 somersaults and 1-1/2 twists which earned her 66.30 points," as noted by Parr.

Tania Cagnotto, Italy 

Matching her best career finish in a world championship event, Cagnotto pushed He to the limit on Tuesday, as noted by Diving Barcelona:

Though she wasn't able to break though with a banner victory over China's best, the Italian diving sensation was pleased with her effort, as noted by Parr:

I am really satisfied with this silver, taking into account my last year. After the London Olympics, I took a break, and I came here not so well prepared as in previous major competitions. I have already two silver medals, so I am thrilled! Moreover, it was the first time I got so close from the Chinese- this is a good sign, I am getting closer to them…

Considering the incredible stranglehold China has had over the rest of the international community in diving events, Cagnotto's achievement—coming so close to victory—was remarkable. 

Qin Kai and He Chong, China

Competition in the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard wasn't nearly as compelling as the show He and Cagnotto put on, but the event featured its own allure.  

Qin and He put together a masterful performance in both the qualifying stage and in the final.

Winning the event by more than 20 points over the Russian duo of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Zakharov, the Chinese teammates looked like mirror images of one another, as shown by caoticaesther on Instagram:

As noted by Parr, Qin, a double Olympic gold medalist, won his "unprecedented fourth consecutive" gold medal in this event. He is a former gold medalist in the event, too, and the duo was unstoppable on Tuesday.

After winning the event, Qin still wasn't satisfied with his performance, as noted by Parr:

I am not very satisfied with our performance, but this gold medal had a great merit: we have learnt to dive together, and this can be useful for the future...On the fourth dive [307C, reverse 3 ½ somersault, DD 3.5] I made a huge mistake...Fortunately, we were consistent enough in the other dives, especially in the 5154B [forward 2 ½ somersault 2 twists], which was also a weak point at training.

Don't expect Qin to let down his guard any time soon and start resting on his laurels. This champion isn't close to being finished with his days atop the men's diving hierarchy. 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78. 

China’s Wu Minxia and Shi Tingmao extended the nation’s era of diving dominance by winning the sport’s first gold medal of the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona.

The duo asserted an early lead in the women’s 3-meter synchronised competition on July 20. An impressive score of 334.20 was posted across five rounds, a staggering 31.8 points ahead of Italy’s Tania Cagnatto and Francesca Dallape in second.

Alongside medal favourites China and Italy, Canada qualified for the final round in third place. The rest of the field was made up of hopefuls from Australia, Malaysia, Great Britain, Ukraine, USA, Mexico, Russia, Japan and Hong Kong.

Much like the rest of the competition, Wu Minxia and Shi Tingmao’s final performance was an exciting masterclass of near perfection. The pair excelled with an overall score of 338.40 points across five dives, once again overpowering the Italy’s Cagnatto and Dallape, who finished with a respectable 307.80 in second. Canada’s Pamela Ware and Jennifer Abel followed with 292.08 to claim bronze.

China’s victory makes a special occasion for Wu. The 27-year-old competitor secured a record sixth world title with victory in Barcelona, marking over a decade of dominance that shows no signs of letting up, especially as this is her first professional performance alongside new partner Shi.

With nine world and Olympic gold medals to her name, it’s somewhat telling to consider the only major championship to elude Wu’s grasp came in the 2005 World Championships, a competition she didn’t compete in. As reported through a translator and by ESPN, the legendary diver was more than pleased with her latest triumph:

I'm really happy even though I do feel a bit old.

I believe that since we kept working hard and communicating we succeeded. I feel like one of the leaders of the team, and I feel so good that we could do so well in our first competition.

I always need a new partner to come up because I am old. My partners need to have a high level before starting with me.

Despite her age, Wu’s presence continues to play a major part in setting up a successful future for the Chinese diving team. Her willingness to accept Shi Tingmao as a partner on the major stage will only propel the talented 21-year-old to also producing a career of brilliance.

Shi—who represents the Chongqing diving team—captured the 1m springboard title at the 2011 World Aquatics Championship and has waited two years for her next major title. She followed Wu's every move during the Barcelona meet and highlighted her ability by mirroring the legend's inward two-and-a-half somersault pike on their third dive.

A twisting reverse pike with two-and-a-half somersaults followed, securing the best score of the finals at 78.30. Although a normal occasion for Wu, Shi did extremely well to handle the pressure of the big stage. Her excitement was there for all to see during the medal ceremony, but when she needed to perform, the youngster outlined herself as a future star.

Can anyone break the country's extended tenure on the diving throne? Shi's performance signals the beginning of a new age for China's female divers, suggesting Asian dominance is going to extend well into the next decade.

With the summer now upon most of us, it’s only appropriate that the 2013 World Aquatics Championships should kick off this weekend, with Barcelona playing host to some of the more “amphibious” talents mankind has at the moment.

Sunday brings the first men’s final of the competition, as pairs from all over the world attempt to put no foot wrong in the Synchronised 10m Platform event.

Last summer’s Olympics saw Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan take home the gold, but the duo now has to live up to the expectations of those watching after setting the bar so high.

Meanwhile, others will look to topple the Chinese monopoly of this event, with more than a few giants of the genre looking to reach new depths.

 

Ivan Garcia and German Sanchez (Mexico)

Runners-up to the Chinese at London 2012, Mexico is one of the only countries coming to Spain with an identical pairing to that which lined up for them in the English capital last summer.

Ivan Garcia and German Sanchez were somewhat of a surprise package on that occasion, but now have a certain standard to live up to as the world waits to see just how much the duo has improved.

The young men are still in their very early 20s and could yet have many more attempts at titles, but they will certainly be a team worth watching in the synchronised event.

Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang (China)

Having secured the always threatening Chinese throne to diving, Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang have a big role to play in the direction of their national chances in a sport they’ve proven to be very proficient at in recent years.

Acrobatically, the Chinese pair is as qualified as any other pairing in the field and, like the British duo of Daley and Goodfellow, has the benefit of youth running in their favour.

David Bonuchi and Toby Stanley (USA)

Another medallist from London 2012, it was the United States of America who just about pipped the United Kingdom to a place among the top three at the last Olympics.

However, neither David Boudia nor Nicholas McCrory remain from that pair, instead giving way to Toby Stanley and David Bonuchi.

Having tied up a bronze finish last summer, the USA will certainly be looking to improve in Barcelona this week, their first trial coming in Sunday’s synchronised preliminaries and, if they make it that far, the finals.

Tom Daley fans will be rocking back and forth with anxiety right now.

The English heartthrob—who The Daily Star reports was recently voted the World’s Sexiest Man by Attitude readers—has suffered a number of misfortunes since representing Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

As reported by BBC Sport, the 19-year-old initially suffered from a lack of motivation after the worldwide event. Injury problems followed as Daley was forced to miss the European Championships and World Cup after suffering a triceps injury during April 2013.

Despite partaking in little competition during the eight months after securing an Olympic bronze medal, the adored diver sprang into life with a 10-meter platform win at the World Series in Edinburgh. He now aims to add another individual title to his rapidly growing list of honours with a victory at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona.

True to form, the youngster enters proceedings with another dose of imperfect preparation. As his coach Andy Banks told BBC Sport, a glandular problem put his Spain appearance in severe doubt:

His glands have swollen, and that means he is not able to get into the various shapes because of the pain factor.

He's just coming out of that now, and the physios are getting him out of that, hopefully in time for the competition in a couple of weeks' time.

He's done progressive lead-ups on lower boards while he's had some of these problems. It's not as if he has done nothing, but it's about preparation.

But he's still chomping at the bit, and I'm sure he'll give as good a performance as he can.

Daley remains in typically-buoyant fashion ahead of his meet on July 27-28. His career is defined by overcoming misfortune—be it the death of his father in 2011 or various injury struggles—ensuring he heads into the Catalan championship as one of the favourites. Daley is remarkably resilient and has the experience to utilise his mental strength in order to topple any physical pain.

As the diver tweeted on July 18, he is working hard to ensure top form in Barcelona:

Even so, Britain's youngest ever competitor will enter the tournament feeling a tinge of disappointment for his Olympic partner, Peter Waterfield. The experienced 32-year-old—who became the first Briton to capture an Olympic diving medal in 44 years after his silver at Athens 2004—lost his funding after the London games. As reported by ESPN, the man from Walthamstow recently called time on his illustrious career.

Waterfield tweeted confirmation of his decision to retire:

A sad end to his friend's career will make Daley even more determined to capture victory. With his injuries and Waterfield's retirement, British diving is in need of a quick rejuvenation after a disappointing few months.

Daley is more than willing to risk his body in order to win. While it isn't healthy for his body, he has regularly combated physical limitations to compete. His victory at February's British Championships in Plymouth came at a time where he wasn't completely fit and had a number of outside commitments (such as appearing on the terrible Splash! television show), ensuring his current glandular problem won't hamper his chances in Barcelona.

Whether dealing with physical or personal problems, Daley is the kind of diver who manages to put everything aside when he stands on the board. His recent injury and Waterfield's retirement are the latest additions to a long list of distractions for the Englishman, but as he continues to lead British hope, they provide nothing more than extra fuel on a fire that burns brighter than most.