Beijing, 22 Feb - Comments from Christina Loukas (USA), Sharleen Stratton (AUS), Chantelle Newbery (AUS) and Blythe Michaela Hartley (CAN) after the women's 3m springboard preliminaries at the National Aquatics Center.

Christina Loukas (USA)

On people cheering for her:

"They are from my hometown. My parents and my two brothers came with me."

On her hometown putting up a sign reading "Home of Christina Loukas":

"It's really nice to be noticed as a diver."

On her hobbles:

"I love the outdoors and I love cooking."

Sharleen Stratton (AUS)

On her fourth dive (305B DD 3.0) for which she got 52.20 points:

"I did not do well on that dive. It was inconsistent because I took too much care during the movements. I am always like that, with my body being too tense."

On her training for the semifinals:

"The point is to keep calm. I have no specific expectation for the finals or the Olympic Games. I will just try to do every dive well."

On her studies and her future:

"I studied French before. I would like to study more and improve myself. In the futures I plan to be a make-up artist."

Chantelle Newbery (AUS)

On her purpose for taking part in the World Cup:

"I came here to help come back from my retirement. My long-term aim is the Olympics, while the World Cup is a short-term objective. I want to know my international level. That is why I am here."

On her plans after the 2008 Olympics:

"I will retire after the Olympics (for the third time). I won't come back after that."

On her children:

"My husband (Robert Newbery) does not want more children but I do because I love them. I am now teaching children to dive; I will keep doing that after my retirement."

Blythe Michaela Hartley (CAN)

On being the first to dive:

"I was happy to be first since the preliminaries lasted for a long time (52 divers) and you had to maintain your consistency."

On her third dive (205B, DD 2.8) for which she got 49.5 points:

"I didn't pay attention to the score. I just focused on diving."

On what diving represents for her:

"It means a lot to me. I train hard everyday and do my best to be good."

On her hobbies:

"Apart from diving, I enjoy many other activities and like hanging out with my friends."

On her gold medal hopes:

"The Chinese divers are very strong, they are the best. I think I will just try to do as well as I can."