Rivals out to break China's diving domination

German duo Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein insist they face a near-mission impossible in their bid to stop China dominating the diving at the world aquatic championships, which start on Saturday.

Two years ago in Barcelona, Hausding and Klein won gold in the synchronised 10 metre platform to prevent a Chinese sweep as their divers claimed nine of the ten world titles on offer.

Chinese divers have an enviable record in recent major events.

They claimed six out of eight golds at the London 2012 Olympics and won ten out of ten on home soil when the world championships were held in Shanghai four years ago, as well as seven out of eight victories at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

This time around in Kazan, Russia, Chinese divers will again be the ones to beat.

Hausding admits the German pair have their work cut out to repeat their gold-medal winning feat when their event takes place on Sunday.

"If you look at things realistically, gold isn't really there for us. Once again, the Chinese would have to do us a favour and slip up," said Hausding ahead of the action at Kazan's Aquatics Palace.

"Our goal is a medal to be sure of our place for the Olympics."

In Barcelona, the Chinese pair of Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan could only finish third and Cao, the 2012 London Olympic 10m platform gold medalist, will be dropping down to compete in the three meters individual and synchronised in Kazan.

"As a former platform diver, it is going to be the first time for me to compete in the springboard at a world championships and I have a great number of pressures," said the 20-year-old, who started diving aged five.

"Obviously we are facing some great opponents from other countries, such as the UK's Jack Laugher and Russia's Evgeny Kuzenetsov and Ilya Zkharov."

Zkharov, the Olympic 3m individual springboard champion, will have the home crowd behind him, as will his 3m synchro partner Kuzenetsov, who has world and Olympic silver medals in the event.

Tom Daley, 21, will lead the British diving team looking to better the 10m platform bronze he won at the London Olympics having finished second in this year's world series to China's Yang Jian.

But 20-year-old Jack Laugher from Yorkshire, England, is another name to watch out for having seen off Hausding and Cao to win the three metre springboard by winning three of the six world series meetings.

He has already tasted success in Kazan after becoming the only non-Chinese diver to take the gold in the men’s events, winning the 3m springboard at the world series event in April.

Surprisingly He Chong, the 28-year-old 2008 Olympic champion in the 3m springboard and three-time world champion, has failed to qualify for the event, leaving younger brother He Chao to carry the family name in Kazan.

"It is weird that my older brother is unable to compete with me together since competing with him has also been my dream," said He, who won 1m springboard gold at last year's Asian games.

"It's going to be my first ever world championships, and I do not know what to expect.

"My older brother has been one of best springboard divers in the world, and I hope that I could reach my goal at the international competitions."

There promises to be a battle royal in the men's 10m platform in the final diving event on August 2 with Daley up against Chinese platform stars Yang Jian, the 2014 world cup winner, and twice world champion Qiu Bo.

Wu Minxia, the four-time Olympic gold medalist, will be competing at women's 3m synchronised springboard this Sunday with her partner, Shi Tingmao in an event the Chinese pair have made their own.

They have not lost any international competitions since they started to work together in 2013.
Source: AFP