PETER WATERFIELD, delighted with a double medal haul in the Rome Diving Grand Prix at the weekend, has his sights firmly back on Southampton.

The Olympic silver medallist is looking forward to the national championships in Southampton next month, which also double up as World Championship qualifiers.

As reported in a later edition of the Daily Echo yesterday, Waterfield won a silver in the ten-metre platform final in Rome and came close to beating Russian Gleb Galperin, but managed to make sure Cuban Jose Guerra only won bronze.

Not satisfied with that success, the Athens hero then went on to win a bronze medal alongside fellow Olympic medal winner Leon Taylor in the ten-metre synchro final - the first time the pair have dived together for ten months.

"Peter dived really well," said Steve Foley, Great Britain's national diving performance director.

"It's a big boost ahead of the World Championships next month."

Waterfield started the ten-metre individual competition in fine fashion, stringing together a series of top dives to win the preliminary stages and left Guerra and Galperin in the cold.

But, despite diving well in the final alongside Guerra, it was Galperin who quietly picked up the points he needed to edge both divers to the gold medal.

"It was a great final, but the Russian seemed to come out of nowhere to win," added Foley.

"To win a silver and a bronze is a good achievement for Peter, especially because he's been injured for most of this season."

Success in the synchro competition was unexpected, with both Waterfield and Sheffield's Taylor possibly rusty having not dived with each other for so long.

"It's been great to get a good hit out with Leon," said Waterfield. "It's been such a long time since we've dived together.

"Winning two medals here is a big confidence booster. It's nice to find some form, especially with the nationals around the corner and then the World Championships."