The weeks leading up to the Rio Olympics were a difficult time for Australian diver, Brittany O’Brien.

She had to train, and train hard, because there was a slight chance she could still make Olympic team, even though the days were ticking down.

It was challenging, pushing herself every day to train for an event she knew there was very little chance she’d ever get to.

And there were other reasons why 18-year-old O’Brien was finding it tough.

“I had multiple personal setbacks leading up to the Games, including the sudden death of a very close friend, and on top of that, the fact that I didn't know I was going until days before,” O’Brien said.

But then, misfortune brought about a change of fortune for the Sydney Year 12 student. 2012 Olympic silver medallist, Brittany Broben, suffered a recurrence of a shoulder injury and had to withdraw from Rio.

With only days to go before the opening ceremony, O’Brien received the news she’d be making her Olympic debut.

This week, in the lead-up to her first post-Olympics competition at the FINA Grand Prix on the Gold Coast, O’Brien had a chance to reflect on her Rio experience.

While she didn’t make the platform final, she learned a lot.

“I was able to push through this tragedy, keep training hard and ended up performing well at my first Olympics - considering the circumstances,” she said.

“Experiencing Rio and the village in particular was surreal, it was almost like living in a different world. Getting to compete with the best in the world was very eye opening and I've gained a lot of experience from it.”

With the subsequent retirement of Broben, O’Brien is now in the box seat to become a regular on the Australian platform team. Her Rio experience has her ready to step up.

“Because of everything I went through I became aware of my mental toughness,” O’Brien said.

“I learnt that I am a perseverant person as well as adaptable - especially when it came to the green pool! (Because of a chemical mix-up the water in the Rio Olympic diving pool turned green).

“When I first arrived I was quite nervous , I felt intimidated and almost a little bit out of place. But once I started training with everyone else I realised we are all on the same level, and that I did indeed deserve to be there, giving me that extra confidence boost going into competition.”

O’Brien will this week take on divers from China, Malaysia, Canada and the United States in the 10-metre platform on the Gold Coast.

As one of only two members of the Australian Olympic team competing this week (Kevin Chavez will contest the 3-metre springboard), O’Brien will be in the spotlight.

But it’s all part of the process of preparing for the future, and possible Commonwealth Games and Olympics.

“I'm very excited,” she said.

“I just want to keep training hard and do everything I can to try get to those events,” she said.

“Now I know what I can do with minimal preparation and a lead up that was far from ideal, I want to compete at my full potential and have these amazing experiences all over again.”

The FINA Gold Coast Grand Prix begins on Thursday and finishes on Sunday.