"Springboard diva" Guo prepares for final dive

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - Guo Jingjing, China's "springboard diva," will have a final chance to make headlines for her sporting prowess rather than her celebrity lifestyle at the Beijing Olympics.

The 26-year-old, who made her debut aged 15 in Atlanta in 1996, said two years ago that defending her individual and synchronized 3-metre Olympic titles at her fourth Games would be the final act of her career.

"To finish my career at home in 2008 is something very, very significant and emotional," the Hebei-born diver said at the Asian Games when announcing her plan to retire.

Guo's good looks have made her a fixture on advertising billboards and in magazines but her high profile has also had its downside.

She was kicked off the diving team the year after the Athens Games along with another Olympic diving champion Tian Liang for undertaking too many commercial activities.

Guo apologized and was allowed back, but this year has been subject to attacks from domestic media for being "supercilious" by ignoring the press and rude for describing one of her rivals as "the fat Canadian."

Her love life has long been an obsession with the Chinese media, although she has neither confirmed nor denied any relationships.

She was initially linked with Tian, who retired in 2007 rather than cut down on his commercial activities and has since married a finalist from China's hugely popular "Supergirl" talent contest.