Olympic Diving 2012: Tom Daley and Most Skilled Divers in the Games

Great Britain are proud to have one of the world's premier divers competing for a gold medal this summer at the 2012 Olympic Games, but Tom Daley isn't the only phenomenal diver heading to London.

China have taken the diving world by storm, and they will look to dominate the 2012 Summer Games the same way they dominated the 2012 FINA Diving World Championships in February.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the most talented and skilled divers that will be competing this summer in London.

Tom Daley, Great Britain

Tom Daley showed the world what he was capable of at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing as a 14-year-old prodigy. He made the finals that year, and then went on to win the 2009 World Championships in the 10-meter platform event.

Daley also won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, and he has to be one of the favorites to win this year's Olympic Games as a result. 

Daley's success earned him the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality award, and he is one of the most popular British athletes on Twitter, with 262,814 followers. You can follow him @TomDaley1994.

Qiu Bo, China

Although Tom Daley will be the hometown favorite to win the 10-meter platform, SI.com's Michael Farber says that Qiu Bo is the favorite to take home the gold. 

Bo is the reigning world champion in this event, having won the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo, and he won the FINA 2011 Male Diver of the Year award, according to NBCOlympics.com.

Bo spoke to reporters about the upcoming games, according to the Daily Mail, saying:

"

The biggest challenge is from myself to beat myself. The aim is to win everything...I enjoy the pressure (of being the Number One). That is the pressure that moves me to get stronger and stronger...What is in my mind is good preparation for competitions and then if I can perform well then the results will look after themselves.

"

There's no doubt that Bo is confident in his abilities, and it'll be fun to watch him and Daley duke it out in London.

Wu Minxia, China

Wu Minxia has been one of the world's best divers since she won gold with Guo Jingjing at the 2003 World Championships and 2004 Summer Games in Athens. 

Since then, Minxia has gone on to win four more world championships in synchronized diving and another gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, as well as a personal gold in the three-meter springboard in the 2011 World Championships.

In an interview with MarieClaire.com, Minxia talks about her training regiment:

"

I train and dive eight to 10 hours a day, every day. My day starts with team exercises at 6 a.m., then weight training and posture practices, gymnastics, and trampoline (for better leaping and free-fall twisting) until noon. Then it's more practice at the diving gym at 2 p.m., followed by formal training in the water. At 10 p.m., we call it a day.

"

It's no wonder she's at the top of her game every year, and as SI.com's Michael Farber writes, she's the "undisputed empress of the springboard."

Cao Yuan & Zhang Yanquan, China

Cau Yuan and Zhang Yanquan of China are an unstoppable duo in the 10-meter synchronized event. They crushed Mexico's spectacular duo, German Sanchez and Ivan Garcia, in the 2012 FINA Diving World Cup, winning by an astonishing 21 points. 

In China, the two are known as the "dream team" of diving, according to China.org, for their unparalleled prowess in the sport. It's not hard to see why, and we'll all get the treat of watching them work together once again this summer in London.

Chen Ruolin, China

There's so much gold on Chen Ruolin's resume that prospectors from Alaska to Australia are lining up for the next great gold rush.

I kid. But, there's no kidding around when it comes to how good Ruolin is on the 10-meter platform.

She has won three World Championships and one Olympic gold medal in the synchronized event, and she won the 2008 individual gold and the 2011 World Championship individual gold. Ruolin also has won a multitude of FINA Diving World Cup gold medals and two gold medals at the Asian Games. 

Yeah, she's kind of good.

SI.com's Michael Farber says she's, "maybe the brightest Chinese star in a constellation of them."

She'll be tough to beat this summer in London.