OLYMPIAN Tonia Couch will spearhead Great Britain’s diving team who are preparing to take on the world in China tomorrow.

Plymouth Diving’s Couch will compete in the women’s individual 10-metre platform event at the FINA Diving World Cup which runs from June 2-6.

Couch, buoyed by her bronze-medal winning performance in Florida on May 8, is joined at Changzhou by former Plymouth team-mate Sarah Barrow in diving’s blue riband event.

Leeds’ Barrow and Couch, who turned 21 on May 20, are new synchro partners and won a bronze medal last time out in Florida.

But in China they will only be pursuing podium places in the individual competition.

Southampton’s Stacie Powell and Leeds’ Rebecca Gallantree will be GB’s 10m platform synchro pairing.

Couch is certainly in good form having won her first international medal at the Fort Lauderdale Grand Prix and will need to be at her peak against many of the world’s best this week.

Among the top women divers competing for medals in the 10m platform are the host country’s Chen Ruolin — a double winner at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 — together with another hot Chinese prospect, 14-year-old Hu Yadan.

Mexico’s world champion Paola Espinosa is another top-class rival for Plymouth-born duo Couch and Barrow.

Plymouth’s Andy Banks, who also coached Barrow before she moved to university in Leeds, believes Couch has an excellent chance of making the final.

But the GB coach acknowledged Couch would have to perform at her best.

“Tonia will get through the preliminary stages — that’s not an issue for her,” said Banks.

“And if she can get past the semis, which she sometimes has problems with, then it’s up to her to make her presence felt in the final.

“She’s been trialling a new dive this year to add to her repertoire, and she’s nailed it down a couple of times in competitions.

“Hopefully, she can do the same in China.”

Plymouth’s other Olympic diver Tom Daley, who is world champion at the men’s 10m platform, is not involved in the World Cup.

Instead, the 16-year-old will be working on his new higher tariff dive and also finishing his academic studies at Plymouth College.

Great Britain team: Rebecca Gallantree, (City of Leeds), Stacie Powell (Southampton), Alicia Blagg (City of Leeds), Tonia Couch (Plymouth Diving), Sarah Barrow (City of Leeds), Hannah Starling (City of Leeds), Peter Waterfield (Southampton), Max Brick (Southampton), Jack Laugher (Harrogate), Chris Mears (Southampton).