Students Jasmine And Ling Kar Get Nod For SEA Games

KUALA LUMPUR: Ipoh-born schoolgirls Jasmine Lai Pui Yee and Kam Ling Kar are set to rock the SEA Games stage for the first time in Indonesia come November.

The two sweet-looking 16-year-olds were given the nod for their maiden SEA Games appearances in diving alongside the more illustrious Leong Mun Yee, who also hails from Ipoh.

The Amateur Swimming Union of Ma­­laysia (Asum) yesterday submitt­ed their final list of athletes for aquatics to the Olympic Council of Malay­sia (OCM).

Malaysia will compete in swimming, diving, waterpolo, synchronised swimming and open water swimming, making it a full roster in aquatics for the first time at the SEA Games level.

But the biggest interest will be in diving where Malaysia are sending four men and seven women and should comfortably bag six out of the eight gold medals at stake.

Have no fear: Malaysia’s Jasmine Lai Pui Yee and Kam Ling Kar in action during the women’s 3m springboard synchro final at the FINA Diving Asian Cup in Kuala Lumpur Monday. — NORMAN HIU / The Star

The four men going are London Olym­pic-bound Bryan Nickson Lomas and Yeoh Ken Nee together with Ooi Tze Liang and Ahmad Am­­syar.

Making up the women’s squad are Olympic-bound diver Pandelela Ri­nong, Cheong Jun Hoong, Traisy Vivien and Wendy Ng Yan Yee.

Jasmine and Ling Kar were grinning from ear to ear when told of their inclusions in the SEA Games squad after the women’s 3m springboard synchro competition at the FINA Diving Asian Cup at National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The two are also best of friends and have been diving for the last four years. Now, all the hard work paid off as they look forward to their first as­­sign­ment with the senior national squad.

The duo are likely to enter for the women’s 10m platform synchro as seniors Mun Yee and Pandelela will opt out to concentrate on the individual discipline.

“I never expected to be given a place in the squad. I’m certainly excited and looking forward to it.

“It is a big responsibility and we hope we can fulfil the expectations given to us,” said Jasmine, who recently did well to bag two gold medals at the Asia Pacific Rim Junior Invitational meet in Wellington.

She won the individual gold and partnered Ling Kar to win the 3m springboard synchro as well.

The second day of the Asian Cup saw Malaysia bagging two silver and two bronze medals as China made a clean sweep of all four gold medals contested yesterday.

Jasmine-Pui Yee picked up their second silver in the women’s 3m springboard synchro while Ahmad Amsyar-Pardika Indoma combined well to take another silver in the men’s 3m springboard synchro.

Amsyar also won a bronze in the men’s 1m springboard while Traisy Vivien underlined her talent by taking bronze behind China’s Kang Li and Sheng Yi in the women’s 10m platform final.

Malaysia’s hopes of earning another Olympic slot rest on Bryan when he competes in the men’s 10m platform today. Bryan made the cut for the Olympics in the 3m springboard at the World Championships but he has a fight on his hands with world junior champion Wang Anqi of China in the fray.

Only the winners of the individual disciplines get to qualify for the Olym­pics through the continental qualification route.