Mun Yee-Pandelela Bag Silver With Near Perfect Final Plunge

DIVERS Leong Mun Yee-Pandelela Rinong soared on a magnificent final plunge to nail a silver medal in the women’s 10m platform synchronised event at the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Sports Complex last night.

However, the first-ever medal for Malaysia in Commonwealth Games women’s diving almost did not materialise as Mun Yee-Pandelela were lying in fifth position with two more dives to go.
But the duo moved into medal contention after the fourth attempt and confirmed their place in the history books with a near-perfect final dive, which earned them 82.56.

It was the highest score on the board in the competition last night and elevated them to second place on a total of 328.38.

Australia’s Olympic silver medallists Melissa Wu-Alexandra Croak led from start till the end to secure gold on 335.76. Australia also grabbed the bronze through Briony Cole-Sarah Barrow, who chalked up 319.68.

Malaysians Cheong Jun Hoong-Traisy Vivien fell out of a podium finish. They were in second spot with two remaining dives but failed to hold on and settled for fifth on 316.38.

Mun Yee felt that they let slip the chance to win the gold medal with a poor start.

“We did not do that well in the first two dives and we slipped. Otherwise, we would have done better,” said 25-year-old, who was competing in her fourth Commonwealth Games.

“But going into the final dive, we were confident that a medal was ours as we have pulled it off well in practice.”

Pandelela, the winner of two silver medals in the Youth Olympics in Singapore in August, was happy to have made a medal-winning debut in the Commonwealth Games.

“It will give me the confidence to do well in my remaining events. I will try my best as we are competing with top divers here,” said the 16-year-old, who will dive in the 10m platform individual today.

In the women’s 3m springboard synchronised event yesterday morning, Mun Yee partnered Wendy Ng for sixth place.

Yeoh Ken Nee, the silver medallist at the 2006 Melbourne Games, settled for fourth place in the 1m springboard.

He chalked up 385.70 points behind Canadian Ross Reuben, who took bronze on 400.10. Fellow Malaysian Bryan Nickson was placed seventh on 370.80. Bryan had qualified just ahead of Ken Nee for the top 12 final earlier in sixth place.

Olympic silver medallist Alexandre Despatie of Canada successfully defended his 1m springboard title with a score of 468.15. Matthew Mitcham of Australia, the 10m platform gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, settled for silver on 441.