SHANGHAI, May 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Canada can be as competitive as China for the women's platform gold at the Athens Olympic Games this summer, said a Canadian coach Friday at the Shanghai Champions Diving Tour.

    Michel Larouche, who brought his top four divers to the port city for the international invitational, predicted a tough competition for the women's platform Olympic title.

    "China have strong divers and they have good chance to win the Olympic gold, but Emilie can be good, too," Larouche said about his platform world champion Emilie Heymans.

    The 22-year-old, boasting of a routine of the highest difficulty degrees in the platform, edged Chinese favorites Lao Lishi and Li Na to grab the title at the Barcelona world championships last July but Lao and Li Ting made golden redemptionin the synchronized platform.

    "China have Lao, Li Ting and Li Na, whose dives are of very good quality," Larouche said, also singling out American Laura Wilkinson, Athens World Cup winner and runner-up Loudy Tourky of Australia as title contenders.

    But Larouche was cautiously optimistic despite the foreseeable fierce competition.

    "I think she has a chance of winning. She has the same percentage of winning chances as the Chinese," Larouche said.

    Heymans, who has been suffering from a high fever since arriving here Tuesday, failed to enter the final in the women's 3mspringboard synchronized, where world titlists Guo Jingjing and WuMinxia feature for the hosts.

    In the Canadian lineup are world champion Alexandre Despatie, world cup bronze medalist Phillipe Comtois and 1m board world bronze medalist Blythe Hartley. Enditem