Briton Tom Daley returns to the Hamdan Sports Complex this weekend (March 20-22) for the Dubai leg of the FINA/NVC Diving World Series with a new coach, a new programme, and a renewed hunger for success.

The 19-year-old former world champion linked up with Zimbabwe-born Jane Figueiredo last January after spending 10 years with his ex-coach Andy Banks.

Having relocated to London from Plymouth to train with Figueiredo, Daley admits he got the fresh start he needed to push for gold at Rio 2016.

“It’s been great,” Daley said of his revamped set up. “Sometimes with diving, with anything, people just need a change. They need something new.

"Most people my age go to university, they move away from home and I think that’s what I needed with my diving, to freshen things up.

“I’ve been working with Jane on new strength programmes and on different techniques.”

The opening leg of the series in Beijing last week was Daley’s first outing since last year’s World Championships in Barcelona, where a tricep injury hindered the young Brit from securing a spot on the podium in the 10m platform.

His inaugural competition of 2014 saw him win bronze at the Water Cube, where Daley had made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2008.

He says he was happy with his form in the first leg but is looking to do better at the Hamdan pool.

“There’s still a lot of things I need to improve on. But hopefully this weekend if things go to plan, I’ll be able to compete well and see what happens,” added Daley.

He will face stiff competition from reigning world champion Qiu Bo of China and USA’s Olympic title holder David Boudia, who will be looking to shake off a disappointing sixth place in Beijing last week.

Qiu Bo, who finished a surprising second behind Boudia at the London 2012 Olympics, redeemed himself by storming to gold in the Barcelona World Championships a year later.

He added a new dive to his set this year, a 5156B, which is a forward two-and-a-half somersault with three twists in the pike position and has a degree of difficulty of 3.9.

The 21-year-old is hoping to perfect this dive over the course of the series as he prepares for this July’s World Cup in Shanghai.

“The main purpose I’m competing in the Diving World Series is to practice my new dives,” Qiu Bo said. “I tried the 5156B in Beijing for the first time and I’m not very satisfied with it at the moment.”

The series comprises of six stops with a total prize pot of $1.27 million (Dh4.66m). Divers accumulate points and the winners will be crowned after the final competition in Monterrey, Mexico in June.

The action kicks off at 10:00am on Thursday and will conclude with the men’s 10m platform final on Saturday at 17:50.