Divers plunge right back into training

AFTER sweeping all the golds in the SEA Games, Leong Mun Yee and company have dived right back into work.

The Malaysian diving team have resumed training in Bukit Jalil on May 11 after coming home with all eight golds on offer in Hanoi.

Now, team manager Mun Yee hopes to see the up-and-coming divers like Kimberly Bong, Ong Ker Ying and Bertrand Rhodict continue to focus towards on winning a place in the squad for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July.

"I am happy with their performance because we targeted eight golds and four bronze medals initially," said Mun Yee.

"But we managed to surpass that with eights golds, three silvers and one bronze.

"The seniors lived up to expectations while the juniors also did their part well.

"It's a good start for the juniors after not competing outside for three years (because of Covid-19). Now, we have to start preparing for the Commonwealth Games."

It was the second straight time that Malaysia made a clean sweep of the diving competition.

The diving team also bagged all four springboard titles (3m individual and synchro men's and women's) in the 2019 edition in the Philippines.

"I hope to see the young divers making it to the Commonwealth Games team, where there will be more events," she said.

The men's and women's 3m mixed pair synchro discipline will make its debut at the Games for a total of 12 events.

Mun Yee, however, is not sure if she will be in the team to Birmingham.

The four-time Olympian and bronze medallist at the 2009 world championships retired last year and is helping out in the national set-up headed by Chinese coach Li Rui.

At the SEA Games, Ong Ker Ying capped her debut with gold in the women's 3m springboard synchro with Wendy Ng Yan Yee. She also won silver behind Wendy in the 3m springboard individual while Kimberly Bong took silver behind Nur Dhabitah Sabri in the women's 1m springboard individual.

Rhodict also marked his SEA Games debut with a podium performance, grabbing bronze in the men's 1m springboard individual won by Ooi Tze Liang.

The Malaysians had been expected to dominate but two-time Olympic medallist Pandelela Rinong, who also won the world championships bronze with Mun Yee, admitted there had been some pressure.

"The coaches were stressed because we had the target of winning all the golds.

"But we managed to achieve it and I am very proud of the team," said Pandelela, who partnered Dhabitah to claim the final gold in the women's 10m platform synchro event.