The powerful Chinese diving team will be targeting nothing less than a sweep of all titles at their home Olympics after confirming their supremacy throughout the season.
China have not only dominated but increased their invincibility over the past five Olympics, winning five golds in 2000 before landing a record six in 2004.
The favourites flexed their muscles by claiming all eight golds during the last meet of the FINA Diving Grand Prix in Rome last month.
And spearheaded by world and double Olympic champion Guo Jingjing they are looking for all eight titles on offer in the Water Cube.
They showed what they are capable of at the diving World Cup at the Olympic venue earlier this year by winning seven out of eight events.
But the hosts also revealed their weak point in the men's 10m platform.
It was the only title to elude them, with the gold medal going to Germany's Sascha Klein ahead of Zhou Luxin, the Chinese favourite, and David Boudia of the United States.
The high dive has been a problem for China since the authorities kicked Sydney Olympic gold medallist Tian Liang off the team in 2005 for spending too much time on commercial activities and not enough in the training pool.
Injuries have kept Hu Jia, the individual gold medallist in Athens, out of the team and deepened China's problems.
The pressure will be on Zhou from world champion Gleb Galperin of Russia and Cuba's Jose Guerra Oliva.
In the men's 3m springboard, China's world champion Qin Kai faces the challenge of Canada's Olympic silver medallist Alexandre Despatie.
While in the synchronised events, China will be determined to avoid the upset they suffered in Athens when Greek pair Nilolaos Siranidis and Thomas Bimis claimed gold after errors by the Chinese and Russians.
Among the women, in the 3m springboard, Guo is overwhelming favourite with her leading challenger compatriot Wu Minxia along with Italy's Tania Cagnotto and Russia's Yulia Pakhalina
The oldest diver in the squad at 27 years, Guo wants to go out on a high note in Beijing.
‘As divers we try to bring out our best performances and I will try to do just that for the Olympics Games,’ she said.
In the 10m platform Chen Ruolin and Xin Wang are frontrunners with Canada's Emilie Heymans, a former world champion and Olympic bronze medallist, also bidding for a podium finish.
Sydney Olympic champion Laura Wilkinson will also be hoping to go out with a splash in her final Games as the once-dominant US team look to make up for their medal shutout at Athens.
