Diving in to make the frame and fulfil naked ambition

The 24-year-old London-born, Sheffield-based diver secured his spot at his home Games in his adopted city last month.

Competing in the 3m synchro alongside Southampton’s Chris Mears, Robinson-Baker has a genuine shot of fulfilling his dream of standing on the medal podium.

He acknowledged his seventh-place finish in Beijing by having the rings tattooed on his chest.

And he showed his eagerness to support cancer charities by diving naked for a photoshoot.

But it was a third national title at the British Championships in Sheffield earlier this month – that helped seal his spot at the Olympics – that gave him the greater satisfaction.

“We did our job at the Olympic qualifiers,” said Robinson-Baker of an Olympic qualifying achievement that while expected, was no less nerve-jangling.

“It was a fantastic performance. It shows we’re not too far away, that there were a couple of bits in there that could have been improved.”

What was heartening for the duo, who train hundreds of miles apart by day, was how they fared when they tackled one of the toughest dives on their programme.

A successful front four-and-a-half somersault can reap bumper points in the six-dive final and earned the duo a silver in the World Cup meeting in Mexico earlier this year.

“When we did it in Mexico we got marked a 90.8 and so to get a 91.8 in Sheffield was really satisfying,” said Robinson-Baker, who has been based at Ponds Forge since his teens.

“That’s the one we want to nail at London because it’s where the big points are. We know we’re there or thereabouts with the dive. It’s such a difficult dive because you’ve got one-and-a-half seconds to fit in four-and-a-half somersaults.

“It’s no easy thing to do. So the fact that we were able to nail it in Sheffield gives us a lot of confidence.

“The name of the game in diving is consistency.

“Chris and I have shown that over the past three years and all I can see is us getting better and better because we’re getting stronger and fitter.”

As well as a second-place in Mexico, Robinson-Baker and Mears finished fifth in the European Championships in Eindhoven. It all points to a more confident Robinson-Baker as he heads to his second Olympics.

“I trained with Ben Swain in Sheffield ahead of Beijing and that Olympics was a great experience,” said Robinson-Baker. “We didn’t expect anything in China but went in there and finished seventh.

“Chris and I are both in a place where we’ve been together for three years and we’ve beaten mine and Ben’s old score.

“So we know we can beat that. We know we can beat the best in the country.

“We know we can be within the top five in Europe, the top eight in the world, and we’ve proven on the world circuit that we can medal.

“So after what we managed in Mexico, we know an Olympic medal is up for grabs.

“There are a couple of bits we can smarten up on over the next few weeks; sharpening up, getting our entry right, improving our consistency.

“But it’s just a few weeks now to the Olympic final and, hopefully, we’re going to smash it.”