Australian divers have secured a podium finish at every Olympic Games since the iconic Sydney 2000 Games.

However, they have never in Olympic history cliched a medal in Friday’s event, the Women’s 3m Springboard.

Esther Qin and Anabelle Smith will look to break that drought, and they are in fine form to do so.

Both Aussie divers come into the preliminary with a wealth of experience and a long list of credentials to their names.

Smith, who is diving in her third Olympic Games, already has a medal from every major event in her back pocket.

Qin, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, will be diving in her second Women’s 3m Springboard event after finishing sixth in Rio.

The Aussies will face tough competition in the event, namely from China’s world champion Wang Han and Olympic champion Shi Tingmao.

But Diving Australia General Manager, Performance and Pathways Steve Foley said that previous performance means little in the Tokyo Games.

“This is actually everybody’s first Olympic Games because nobody in the history of the Olympics has gone through what people are going to do here,” Foley said.

“From that perspective it doesn’t matter if you’ve been to three, four, or eight Olympic Games like Mr. Hoy, this is a brand-new experience for everyone.”

Foley’s advice to his divers is simple.

“Embrace it, be smart, and you can really enjoy it if you allow yourself to.”

The Women’s 3m Springboard preliminary will begin at 4:00pm (AEST) with semi-final and final rounds on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The top 18 from divers from the preliminary will progress to the semi-final with 12 moving through to the final.

Matthew Barnard