Matthew Mitcham took the first step towards defending his Olympic title in London by making a winning return from injury in the 10 metre platform at the Australian Diving Championships.
The 23-year-old suffered a serious abdominal injury in April and had just two weeks preparation for the national championships in Adelaide, his first major competition this year.
Mitcham, who won the 10 metre platform at the Beijing Games when he posted the highest single-dive score (112.10) in Olympic history, easily won the national title. He scored 480.05 points with his nearest rival Matthew Barnard (Qld) on 430.30.
"I am pleased with my result today after my limited preparation," said Mitcham who missed the world championships in July in Shanghai.
"I am a bit tender but not as bad after the prelims and semi finals.
"This was a good test for me today. I can now continue with my final rehab, have a bit of a rest and strengthen all my muscles around the tear."
The top two divers from the national titles qualify for the World Cup in London in February, which doubles as an Olympic trial and is where Mitcham will face English teenager Tom Daley and Chinese divers Qiu Bo and Huo Liang.
Despite winning four Commonwealth Games silver medals in various categories, Mitcham has decided to focus solely on his speciality, the 10m platform ahead of London.
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