(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-24 11:34

BEIJING - Powerhouse China is ready for making a clean sweep at the "Good Luck Beijing" 16th edition of FINA Diving World Cup as Chinese top divers will compete the last-day's two finals here on Saturday.

China's Olympic champions Guo Jingjing (L) and Wu Minxia look at the score board during the women's three-meter springboard preliminary stage at the "Good Luck Beijing" 16th FINA Diving World Cup on Saturday. [Xinhua]

In the women's three-meter springboard synchro, Olympic and four-time World Championships winner in both individual and synchronized event Guo Jingjing and diving veteran Wu Minxia are very likely to rule the final.

Wu, 22, who had paired with Guo to win the Olympic Games in Athens and three World Championships, was also the runner-up of the 3m springboard in Athens and Melbourne and Montreal Worlds.

With the world No. 1 diving pair, China will hardly miss the gold.

Russian diving veteran Julia Pakhalina, silver medalist of the event in 2004 Olympics with partner  Vera Ilyna, paired with Anastasia Pozdnyakova this time to compete with the Chinese duo.

In the absence of Melbourne Worlds champion Geleb Galperin of Russia, Chinese Zhou luxin and Lin Yue, currently the first and second ranking divers in men's ten-meter platform, are likely to dominate the field.

Zhou and Lin lost to Galperin in 2007 Melbourne Worlds to settle the second and third respectively.

Zhou, the defending World Cup champion, finished first on Saturday's preliminaries, while Lin, who claimed the gold in the 10 meters platform synchronized event with partner Huo Liang, took the second place.

Jose Guerra, a Cuban platform specialist, currently the world No. 3 in the event, may cause some  trouble to the Chinese teenagers. The Cuban, runner-up of the event in 2005 Montreal Worlds, finished ninth in the preliminaries.

Besides, Matthew Helm, silver medalist in Athens Olympic Games, might also be an arch rival for the Chinese.