Katura Horton Perinchief's Olympic aspirations have received a welcome boost with the news that she is third reserve on the list of individual divers.

This gives her a great chance of competing in the Summer Games in August but her fate still ultimately rests with the decisions of countries which have qualified for synchronised diving (synchro).

A new bias towards that element of the springboard competition has left individual divers like Katura in limbo despite meeting what they thought were the qualification requirements. The Bermudian placed 34th in the three-metre springboard at the Diving World Cup - a position that would previously have guaranteed her an Olympic berth - but only afterwards learnt she would not be an automatic qualifier.

A maximum of 34 women are being allowed to compete in this year's Olympic springboard event - synchro and individual combined - with an emphasis on syncho. So Katura must now wait and see how many places remain if the “synchro countries” don't use all their allocated spots.

“I got an e-mail from FINA (world-governing association for diving) with respect to the Olympics stating she was listed as third reserve. However, it depends on the synchro (synchronised diving) again and if those countries fill up their three places,” said Katura's mother and manager Ellen-Kate Horton.

“If a country in the synchro only takes two divers then that opens up a space and the first reserve moves in there and if two more countries do the same thing she (Katura) would almost certainly be going. I am hopeful.”

Katura has been bolstered by this latest development and, while she waits, intends to go after the necessary score of 244 points in a single competition which she narrowly missed at the Worlds, amassing 237.33 points.

“I'm definitely excited and optimistic. This means there's still flame left in the fire. I just have to attend the rest of the meets and get the qualifying score. I'm not worried at all about my Olympic spot. I am confident everything will fall into place.

“Being a reserve is better than being nothing at all,” the 21-year-old declared, speaking to The Royal Gazette from Texas, USA, where she attends university.

“I am absolutely confident that, if I dive as well as I did at the World Cup, I can reach the score. I've been diving well lately.”

She has until late June to reach the required mark and is lining up a series of meets at which to fulfil that part of the qualification standards. The Bermudian will compete in Victoria, British Columbia, in late April and, if necessary, in Texas and Mexico (both in May) and in Italy in June.

“It looks now like that it might be possible for her, if she reaches the score, to have a good chance of heading to the Olympics.

“We're trying to make it happen by getting her to all these meets but we're working around graduation which is May 22,” said her mother.

Horton disclosed Katura had been asked to register for the Olympics while they await final notification on the matter and they will be doing this.

“We have to get all her information in so that the minute she reaches the score and a place is available then there's no problem.

“If you don't register you have no chance of going. So all those other hopefuls will be registering as well.”