By Charlie Talbot-Smith

BIGGIN Hill diver Stacie Powell is desperate to put her injury woes behind her and get back to competitive action as she bids to achieve her goal of medalling at London 2012.

The 25-year-old 10m synchro diver has been forced to miss the start of the 2011 season after suffering a reoccurrence of a back injury at last year’s Commonwealth Games, where she finished seventh.

Powell and her diving partner Rebecca Gallantree had high hopes of medalling going into Delhi but they have now targeted this summer’s world championships in Shanghai for their return.

The pair narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fourth at the World Cup last summer and Powell admits that with only 500 days to go until London 2012, the injury could not have come at a worse time.

“Five hundred days really isn’t a very long time and as it gets closer the hype and support is only going to get bigger,” she said.

“It’s really exciting but it’s important to stay focused, I can’t believe it is 2011 already.

“I’ve been out the game since Delhi which has obviously been a bit frustrating and we’ve had to be very careful with how we deal with the injury, we have to build up the speed gradually.

“I’m not going to rush anything and will start diving properly when everything feels right. It’s only in the last month that I started diving off the ten metre board again and I’m not back to my full routine yet.

“It’s not a question of confidence, I know my routines, I’m used to competing in big events and I feel good about my chances this season once my fitness returns.”

The world championships in July present the first opportunity for divers to cement their countries’ qualification spots for London 2012 and Powell is adamant that she will back in peak form by then.

She said: “The injury has given me a chance to go back to basics and re-assess the fundamentals of my diving. I’ve been looking at things that I used to take for granted and that will definitely benefit me in the long run.

“We need to ensure our qualification for the Olympics, which is why the world championships are so important and I’m confident that we can do well in China.

“We are targeting a medal at London 2012 and our results suggest that we are knocking on the door, we finished fourth in the World Cup, the biggest event last year, and I’m confident we have what it takes to do better.”

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