中国跳水队曾在雅典奥运上创下连得六枚金牌的记录，其后，他们在2007年的世界锦标赛中摘得7金，在2008年世界泳联跳水世界杯比赛中又一举包揽了所有8块金牌。这一系列举世瞩目的成绩使得中国跳水队赢得了全世界的肯定。跳水“梦之队”的领队周继红表示：“对北京奥运会，我们有充分的信心”。

China's diving stars will be centre-stage in Beijing after their dominance in previous Olympics.

The Chinese diving team won a record six golds in Athens, notching up more golds than any other China sports teams. This was on top of five gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Their form since Athens has been equally impressive, winning seven out of eight golds at both the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne and the FINA Diving 2008 World Cup in Beijing and wrapping up their season by sweeping all eight golds during the last meet of the FINA Diving Grand Prix in Rome in June.

And as they warm up in Jinan in Shandong Province, the star-studded Olympic squad is unlikely to let up on home soil.

"We have full confidence in the Beijing Olympics," said Zhou Jihong, manager of the Chinese diving team. "Some of our players are quite young, and they may be nervous to compete at home. We must let them be more physically and mentally strong."

"Diving Queen" Guo Jingjing, 27, and her synchronized partner, Wu Minxia, 22, are set to win gold in the women's synchronized three-meter springboard. Guo is hot favorite also for the gold in the individual springboard. "My training has been intensified recently in the last a few day before the Games," said Guo, who will be taking part in her fourth and the last Olympic Games. "If I try my best, I will have no regrets," she adds.

Wu, who won the silver behind Guo in the 3-meter springboard in Athens and in the 2007 Melbourne World Championships, actually beat her synchronized partner in the individual 3m springboard at FINA Diving World Cup earlier this year. Many expect the order to be restored in Beijing, however.

In the men's 3m springboard, Qin Kai, winner at 2007 Melbourne worlds, and He Chong, gold medalist at the 2008 World Cup, will battle it out for the gold medal in the individual event.

Qin will also team up with Wang Feng to dive in the synchronize event, where they are likely to win gold. The world champion pair has been in stunning form all season.

On the 10m platform, the Chinese women's divers also have clear advantages.

Teenager Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin, winner and runner-up, respectively, at the 2007 Melbourne worlds, will fight it out for the gold in the individual event.

They will also team up in the synchronized event, where they are the leading contenders for gold.

The men's 10m platform is the only weak point of the "diving dream team" since the retirement of Sydney Olympic gold medalist Tian Liang.

Hu Jia, the individual gold medalist in Athens who might have put up a strong challenge, has failed to make the squad because of injury.

China lost the gold at this event in the 2007 Melbourne worlds as Russian Gleb Galperin beat China's contenders Zhou Luxin and Lin Yue.

The 10m platform was also the only gold China failed to get at the 2008 World Cup with, this time, Germany's Klein Sascha being crowned.