This time around in Kazan, Russia, Chinese divers will again be the ones to beat. Hausding admits the German pair have their work cut out to repeat their gold-medal winning feat when their event takes place tomorrow.

"If you look at things realistically, gold isn't really there for us. Once again, the Chinese would have to do us a favour and slip up," said Hausding.

"Our goal is a medal to be sure of our place for the Olympics."

In Barcelona, the Chinese pair of Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan could finish only third and Cao, the 2012 London Olympic 10m platform gold medallist, will be dropping down to compete in the three metres individual and synchronised in Kazan.

"As a former platform diver, it is going to be the first time for me to compete in the springboard at a world championships and I am under a lot of pressure," said the 20-year-old, who started diving aged five.

"Obviously we are facing some great opponents from other countries, such as the UK's Jack Laugher and Russia's Evgeny Kuzenetsov and Ilya Zkharov."

Zkharov, the Olympic 3m individual springboard champion, will have home crowd support, as will his 3m synchro partner Kuzenetsov, who has world and Olympic silver medals.

Tom Daley, 21, will lead the British diving team, looking to better the 10m platform bronze he won at the London Olympics, having finished second in this year's world series to China's Yang Jian.

But 20-year-old Laugher, from Yorkshire, is another name to watch out for, having seen off Hausding and Cao to win the three-metre springboard by securing three of the six world series meetings.

He has already tasted success in Kazan after becoming the only non-Chinese diver to take the gold in the men's events, winning the 3m springboard at the world series event in April.

Surprisingly He Chong, the 28-year-old 2008 Olympic champion in the 3m springboard and three-time world champion, has failed to qualify for the event, leaving younger brother He Chao to carry the family name.

"It is weird that my older brother is unable to compete with me together since competing with him has also been my dream," said He, who won 1m springboard gold at last year's Asian Games.

"It's going to be my first ever world championships, and I do not know what to expect.

"My older brother has been one of the best springboard divers in the world, and I hope that I can reach my goal at the international competitions."

There promises to be a battle royal in the men's 10m platform in the final diving event on August 2 with Daley up against Chinese platform stars Yang Jian, the 2014 world cup winner, and twice world champion Qiu Bo.

Wu Minxia, the four-time Olympic gold medallist, will compete in the women's 3m synchronised springboard tomorrow with her partner Shi Tingmao in an event the Chinese pair have made their own.

They have not lost any international competitions since they started to work together in 2013.