Bryan Reaps Another Bronze Among World-Class Rivals

HIS preparations in the lead-up to the Delhi Games were not all smooth but Bryan Nickson Lomas (pic) can walk tall after claiming the bronze medal in the 10m platform men’s individual event at the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Sports Complex last night.

The bronze was a high quality medal as he finished behind two divers regarded as the best in the high board discipline, reigning world champion Tom Daley of England and reigning Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham of Australia.

The 16-year-old Daley produced an extraordinary performance on his last dive to garner 94.05 to pip Mitcham to clinch his first Commonwealth Games platform gold medal.

Daley finished on 538.35 and Mitcham chalked up 509.15.

The 20-year-old Bryan leapt to bronze medal position after the first two jumps and held on to finish the six-dive routine on 487.15.

He even earned a 98.05 for his fifth dive, which turned out to be the highest ever awarded for the 10m platform discipline.

It was the second medal for Bryan after a bronze medal winning effort too in the 3m springboard synchronised event on Tuesday with Yeoh Ken Nee.

Malaysia will thus leave the diving arena with the distinction of having at least one medal-winning effort in all four days of competition.

The team also achieved a best-ever meal haul of 1-1-2 in Commonwealth Games diving. Malaysia went on the medal board for the first time at the 2006 Melbourne Games with two silvers.

Pandelela Rinong clinched a historic gold medal for Malaysia in the women’s 10m platform and partnered Leong Mun Yee for silver in the 10m platform synchronised event.

And Bryan, who only qualified sixth best for the final, heaved a sigh of relief after accomplishing his target to get a first individual medal at the Commonwealth Games.

“I was not feeling good coming here as I injured my calf muscles during training in China,” he said.

“I was getting better but I was not so confident over whether I can take the strain even though I raised my difficulties. I’m happy to take bronze as the field is like in the world championships.”
At the Melbourne Games, the Sarawakian won silver with James Sandayud in the 10m synchronised event.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Wendy Ng finished eighth in the 3m springboard women’s final on 290.15.