Tom’s back in town & intent on winning back title (From Echo)

Tom’s back in town & intent on winning back title

12:31pm Wednesday 25th January 2012 in Other Sport By James Colasanti

DIVING superstar Tom Daley has dropped into Southend again this week as he bids to reclaim his British high board title and move a step closer to his Olympic dream.

The three-day British Gas National Cup competition gets underway at the Southend Swimming & Diving Centre on Friday, and organisers say it is already a sell-out with all 250 seats snapped up well in advance.

Olympic poster-boy Daley and the rest of our British diving superstars arrived in Southend on Tuesday to start training for an event which will go a long way to booking their place at London 2012.

Southend diving coach Bill Clark, who will be a judge at this weekend’s event, said: “It’s very, very important for all the competitors because their performances here will get them a place at the world cup test event at Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park in February.

“And their performances there will go a long way to them being considered for a place at the Olympic Games.

“All our best divers will be in Southend this weekend and that is a real coup for the town. And I think the fact that it is already a sell-out shows just how much it has already caught the imagination.”

Daley was British champion for four years running until 2010, but for the last two years he has been beaten by 2004 Olympic silver medallist Peter Waterfield.

Last year the event was held for the first time in Southend following a number of years at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge venue, and an army of fans turned out to see Waterfield beat Daley in an exciting 10m platform showpiece final.

Former world champion Daley said he was disappointed to finish runner-up, but added he was happy to have trialled one of the world’s hardest dives – the forward, four and-a-half somersaults “Big Front” dive, which is likely to hold the key to Olympic glory at this year’s London Games.

This weekend’s event will also give Southampton’s Waterfield, 30, and Plymouth’s Daley, 17, the chance to work on their 10m synchro partnership ahead of the Olympics.

There will be eight sessions at the Garon Park venue over three days starting on Friday.

The first on Friday at 10am will be the women’s 1m preliminary competition, and the final session starts at 3pm on Sunday and concludes with Daley and Waterfield going for gold in the men’s 10m platform final.