It isn't quite the Beijing Olympics, but it will be the closest simulation a quartet of Canadian women divers can get, as they move to the third and final stop of the FINA World Series circuit in Nanjing, China, on Friday and Saturday.
The challenge will be Olympian in two aspects. They'll be taking on the Chinese in their home pool, in front of a home audience, and they're plunging into the middle of a media circus.
The Olympics coming to China has given birth to a new level of stardom for athletes, and along with that a paparazzi hungry for lurid stories.
The Chinese media has been abuzz since mid-May with rumours published in China Sports Today that two-time Olympic gold medalist Guo Jing Jing is pregnant. That was followed by another rumour that Guo, 26, is leaving the team, followed quickly by denials of both rumours by official sources.
Guo's success and sultry look have made her China's most marketable female athlete. She's reportedly the richest female Olympian in the land, with endorsements for McDonald's and Coca-Cola.
After her two golds at Athens, she was the target of stories romantically linking her with leading male diver Tian Liang when they were seen on the party circuit together. But Tian subsequently married someone else, and a new set of stories link Guo to Kenneth Fok, the playboy grandson of a Hong Kong tycoon.
"I'm angry about this fake news. Whatever I say, reporters don't report it truthfully, so I might as well shut up," she said in a report on The Times' website.
She let her diving do all the talking in Sheffield, England. Not only was she still with the team, she won a pair of gold medals.
But, keeping her mouth closed might be a way to stay out of headlines and off the Internet blogs. The Web was afire with criticism of Guo after she made a cutting remark about Canadian Blythe Hartley at a pre-Olympic test event at Beijing's Water Cube facility. Guo referred to "the fat Canadian," insensitive, no matter how it's translated. But Hartley has been able to put that into perspective. She's 5 foot 5 and powerful at 130 pounds. Guo is more bird-like at 5 foot 4 and 106 pounds. Different body types make for different dives, and Hartley is diving well.
This time, Canadians can sit back and let the opposition worry about distractions. The Canadian entries in Nanjing are Jennifer Abel of Laval, Que., and Hartley of North Vancouver, B.C., on three-metre springboard, Émilie Heymans of St-Lambert, Que., in the women's 10-metre individual and 10-metre synchro, and Marie-Ève Marleau of Laval, Que., paired with Heymans, on 10-metre synchro.
The Canadians are coming off a triple medal performance in Sheffield last weekend. Heymans and Marleau topped all the competition in the synchronized platform event, despite a bout of butterflies.
"I think the nerves actually helped us dive better," Marleau said.
Heymans added a bronze medal from the 10-metre individual event. Hartley won a silver medal on the three-metre springboard, sandwiched between a pair of Chinese, gold-medalist Guo and third-place Wu Min Xia. Abel finished fourth.
The Canadian foursome qualified for the World Series through performances at the 2008 FINA World Cup which was held this past February in Beijing. The top eight divers in each event were invited to compete in the World Series. However when invitees can't attend, they're replaced by the next-available finisher.
The Canadian coaches with the team are Cesar Henderson of Club Aquatique Montreal Olympique diving club and Yi Hua Li of Pointe-Claire, Que., a former top Chinese team member who won gold in the springboard event and silver on the platform at the 1981 University Games, gold at the 1983 World Cup and silver at the 1986 world championships.