Diving chief Evangulov wants Brits to be more ruthless

BRITISH Diving performance director Alexei Evangulov has called on his troops to show more belief if they are to be among the medals at the London 2012 Olympics.

 CLOCK'S TICKING: Tom Daley (r) is counting the days until he can compete on home soil at London 2012

In his first year at the helm, Evangulov has seen Great Britain capture two bronze medals at the European Championships and 15-year-old Tom Daley collect gold at the World Championships in Rome.

Nick Robinson-Baker and Ben Swain also took overall victory in the FINA World Series while there were other impressive performances from the likes of Monique Gladding and Megan Sylvester, who finished sixth in Rome.

And while Evangulov believes Great Britain's divers are ahead of schedule on the road to London 2012, he has called for more ruthlessness in major finals in the coming years.

"I have been very happy with the results the athletes have achieved throughout my first year in charge," said Evangulov.

"They've exceeded our expectations throughout this year which is a good starting place to build towards London 2012.

"At the World Championships Tom's gold medal was obviously one of my best moments but also seeing Monique [Gladding] and Megan [Sylvester] achieve sixth place in the women's platform synchro was really pleasing. 

"They are such different ages, the youngest athlete and one of the oldest, and we didn't know if they would even make the final. It was great experience not just for them but for us to see that it could work.

"I want to change the mentality within the team. I want them to know they can achieve medals and for them to raise their bar.

"I want them to believe that reaching a final is not good enough and they should be up there on the podium. I want them to be more aggressive and to have the belief that they are strong.

"I am really excited about the London Olympics and knowing it is just around the corner is great. I am also really enjoying working with all of the coaches and I think we can work well towards 2012."

Daley became Great Britain's youngest Olympian for 48 years in Beijing last year, and after his world gold in August, is considered among the nation's best medal hopes for London 2012.

And with Saturday marking 1000 days to go until the London Olympics, Daley believes he is perfectly primed to add to his growing medal collection in home waters.

"Knowing that it is going to be in London has definitely given me the extra kick and motivation to work harder," he said.

"Any Olympics is great but with it being in your own country it is something that is really special.

"After winning the gold medal at the World Championships it has motivated me more because I know I can be the world's best and I just hope that I can do it again in London.

"I am really looking forward to the home Olympics. I know it is still three years away but it will go so quickly and I know it will be great."