When Chris Mears picked up World Championship diving bronze in Kazan last year, he did so despite an injury-hit build up.
But on the eve of the London 2016 European Aquatics Championships, the 23-year-old is intent on demonstrating there is even more to come from him this summer.
Mears has been named as an official ambassador for the Championships which will run from May 9-22 at the iconic London Aquatics Centre.
It will be the biggest event held at the venue since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and will represent the last major chance to see British athletes in action before they fly to the Rio Olympics.
Four years ago Mears – who put himself in pole position to go to Rio by winning the 3m synchro world bronze alongside Jack Laugher to secure Team GB an Olympic quota place – made his Olympic debut in front of home fans in London.
He finished fifth in the 3m synchro alongside Nick Robinson-Baker and ninth in the 3m individual and with a strong start to this season Mears is relishing the chance to dive back in London.
“I am really excited about the Europeans,” he said. “I am delighted to be an ambassador and the support I got at the Games in 2012 was ridiculous.
“I fed really well off the crowd so I can’t wait to go back there. It going to be great to compete on home soil. It’s a place where I just have so many memories.
“In Kazan my preparation really wasn’t ideal and I had definitely had the least training of anyone who was competing. I ended up having to rely on being mentally strong rather than anything else and not just dive well.
“Jack was doing really well and had worked so hard whereas I had missed time with a back injury. But it all went right on the day. I’m in really good shape now though, and that’s half the battle. I just want to get to Brazil in the same shape.”
Despite medalling at World and Commonwealth level, Mears has never previously climbed the podium at a European Championships, with his best effort being the fifth-place finishes achieved in the 3m synchro in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
And while physical fitness is one thing, he admits constantly managing the mental pressures associated with diving is equally important.
“I’ve learned a lot about managing injuries and I’ve got much better at knowing what I can and can’t do when I’m recovering from injuries,” he added. “I’ve spent time working with a sports psychologist, which has always been very important for me.
“We work through any problems, and that’s really important with a sport like diving which is as much about the mental side of things.
“You have to be able to move on, even if one dive goes badly, you’re not necessarily out of it. We have to pick ourselves up and forget the last dive. It’s an area where we are working hard.
“I have being doing that for a few years now. I was working with a different psychologist for three years before the Games to get myself in the right place. I look at what makes me tick on the day.”
Tickets for the European Aquatics Championships – the biggest event to be held at the London Aquatics Centre since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games – from May 9-22 are available at www.euroaquatics2016.london