Cassiel Rousseau’s trending for a podium challenge after the Australian diving champion clicked things up a gear to qualify for the 10m platform final in Paris.

The 2023 world champion had scored nine consecutive dives in the 70s before finishing Saturday morning’s Olympic semi-final with a trio of 80-something efforts.

That consistency moved him into the afternoon’s 12-man medals round as the fourth-ranked challenger in the event Australian Matthew Mitcham shocked the world to win in 2008.

The six-dive, 469.25-point haul is still a touch off the 520.85 Rousseau scored to win world championship gold in Fukuoka last year and the former child circus performer, now 23, has been keen to talk down his chances at these Olympics.

And yet Rousseau, whose grandfather Michel won track cycling gold for France at Melbourne’s 1956 Olympics, is well positioned to add some silverware to the family Games collection at the Paris Aquatics Centre later on Saturday.

Chinese world and Olympic champions Cao Yuan (504) and Yang Hao (490.55) led the field as expected.

But there were some nervous looks when both were outside the top three after the first round of dives, the duo with the added pressure of China’s chase for an unprecedented clean sweep in the eighth and final event of the program.

Japan’s Rikuto Tamai (477.00) produced the highest-scoring sixth dive to sneak ahead of the Australian and qualify third, while Canada’s Rylan Wiens (468.40) was fifth.

Adelaide 18-year-old Jaxon Bowshire (379.40) was on track for a remarkable finals appearance, snug inside the top 10 until battling with his final two efforts to finish 16th.