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Divers seal Olympic spot

Image: Stacie Powell: won a closely-contested women's 10m platform title

Stacie Powell and Jack Laugher became the first British divers to confirm their berths in London.

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Couch and Gladding must wait to see which of them is picked

Stacie Powell and Jack Laugher became the first British divers to confirm their berths at the London Olympics after claiming victories at the British Gas Diving Championships in Sheffield. Powell beat higher-profile rivals Tonia Couch and Monique Gladding after scoring a personal best 376.05 to collect gold in a closely-contested women's 10m platform title. Couch and Gladding must now wait to see which of them is picked when the British Diving selection panel meets on Monday. "Up there for that last dive, I knew being the last diver I had to do it well," said Powell, a student of astrophysics at Cambridge University. "I knew I could do it, although it was easy to think of what it meant and the pressure that was on me I just tried to stay focused. "I thought I'd just show everyone that I was ready to start peaking for the Games." Laugher's victory was an easier affair as the 17-year-old secured his spot in the men's 3m springboard. He recorded a personal best 480.80 from Saturday morning's preliminary round and although he could not each such heights in the final, he did more than enough to win his event. "I'm going to an Olympics. It's such a big thing in an athlete's life, especially at home," he said. "I can't even begin to imagine what 17,000 people cheering for you is going to be like. It's going to be absolutely brilliant. I can't wait."