Alexandre Despatie (pictured top), a three-metre springboard Olympic double silver medallist from Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, will be one of Canada's top hopes although the official selections will not be known until trials in Montreal from May 25 to 27.

Émilie Heymans (pictured below) also claimed silver, in Beijing four years ago, and will hope to make it onto the team for London.

Beijing 2008 Olympians Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion will be optimistic of returning to the Games in the 10m synchro event while 3m springboarder Reuben Ross, a Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, is another strong contender.

Jennifer Abel, who became one of Canada's youngest ever Olympic divers at the age of just 16 in Beijing, is another in a good position to qualify.

Diving Canada's chief technical officer, Mitch Geller, said: "Two medals we'll be quite satisfied [with], three medals we'll be thrilled.


"The interesting thing is the Olympics are...a unique environment and all kinds of crazy things happen there.

"Anything can happen at the Olympics and we'll keep our fingers crossed that those things are positive for us."

At the last Olympics in Beijing, hosts China predictably dominated the diving taking seven gold medals.

The only other nation to pick up a gold was Australia while Canada had to be content with two silver medals.

China will again be favourites in the pool at the Aquatics Centre on the Olympic Park this summer after its dominant showing at the recent diving World Cup test event in London.

The London 2012 diving competition runs from July 29 to August 11.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]