Crystal Palace Diving Club’s Kyle Kothari has Rio 2016 in his sights as he pushes the difficulty levels of his routines in order to challenge the senior ranks this year.

The 17-year-old enjoyed a stellar 2014 as he won gold at the European Junior Championships and then a bronze at the world equivalent.

Keen to keep on progressing, Kothari is looking to increase the difficulty of his dives this year as he bids to cement his position as one of the world’s most promising stars.

A reverse three-and-a-half somersault with tuck and a front four-and-a-half somersault are just a couple of the dives that Kothari is trying to master, insisting it will help him close the gap on the nation’s best divers.

“If I can increase the difficulty of my dives and make those more consistent I can start to compete at a senior level”, said Kothari.

“I had no injuries at all last year and I think that’s one of the things that gave me the opportunity to get to my best. It’s probably been the best year for me and my diving.

“I’d like to start thinking about some synchro as well. Once I’ve mastered a few more dives it opens up that door. I’d be looking to do this on platform as I have been off the springboard a while now.”

Kothari was named on the SSE Next Generation programme almost 12 months ago, a scheme which offers expert tuition and guidance to some of the country’s best talents.

One of the stars he got the chance to meet through the programme was 2004 Olympic 10m synchro silver medallist Leon Taylor, and Kothari admits he has been extremely grateful for the support he has received from the retired British diver.

“I talked to Leon a lot and he said if I needed any help I could go to him and that support has been very useful to have,” he added.

“If I have a problem with a dive he’s the sort of guy I can go and speak to about it. Rio is my aim of course so it’s good to speak to someone who has been under that pressure that I’m going to have to handle.

“I just really want to get some more experience at senior level so I’m ready for those games and have a chance at competing there. I’m going to concentrate on the nationals and hope that I impress.”

SSE’s Next Generation programme partners with SportsAid to provide financial support and training to the sports stars of the future. Keep up to date with the latest @SSENextGen