Diving Into History

SEPANG: For the first time, the diving team has a real good shot at winning medals and head coach Yang Zhuliang has vowed to guide his charges to make Olympic history when they return to the Aquatic Park in London in July.

Malaysia will be sending their biggest diving squad for an Olympic Games.

Zhuliang, who returned home with the triumphant diving squad after guaranteeing 10 out of 12 quota spots for Malaysia from the World Cup meet last week, feels that Malaysia stand a better chance of striking a first-ever medal at the Olympics in the synchro disciplines.

Success: The diving team posing for photographs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang upon arrival from London yesterday after competing in the World Cup. The team took 10 out of the 12 available quota spots for the Olympic Games. — MOHD SAHAR MISNI / The Star

This is because each country will be represented by only one pair and there will be just eight pairs in each discipline at the Olympics, unlike the individual events where a country can have two divers.

Naturalised Malaysian Huang Qiang got it right in his first competition for his adopted country with partner Bryan Nickson Lomas when they delivered a bronze in the men’s 3m springboard synchro to become the first Malaysian pair to qualify for the Olympics.

Pandelela Rinong-Leong Mun Yee, who were bronze medallists at the World Championships in Germany in 2009, also won an Olympic spot in the women’s 10m platform synchro.

“Previously, our divers could not even qualify for the finals, this time we have a good chance to fight for a medal in the men’s 3m synchro and women’s 10m platform,” said Zhuliang.

“Huang Qiang has shown that he is still capable of contending at the highest level and he can be even better if he prepares well over the next few months.

“His combination with Bryan is also steady and they have reached the standards to fight for an Olympic medal after posting over 430 points in the final.

“But Huang Qiang-Bryan and Pandelela-Mun Yee must raise their difficulties and work on getting it right for the Olympics.

“We have achieved the first part – to get the quota for the synchro disciplines. Now we must work on getting them ready for the Olympics.

“There is a lot of hard work ahead if we want to get an Olympic medal.

“But it is not impossible and we can even come back with more than one medal.”

Having confirmed 10 quota spots, Ooi Tze Liang could be the latest to qualify for the Olympics in men’s 10m platform individual depending on the availability of vacant slots returned to FINA, the governing body for aquatics.

Tze Liang will know his fate when FINA announce the full list of confirmed qualifiers for the individual disciplines some time next week.

The individual slots already confirmed are Yeoh Ken Nee and Bryan for men’s 3m springboard, Cheong Jun Hoong and Wendy Ng Yan Yee for women’s 3m springboard, Pandelela and Traisy Vivien Tukiet for women’s 10m platform and Bryan for men’s 10m platform.

Pandelela also partnered Jun Hoong to earn a quota spot for Malaysia in the women’s 3m springboard synchro.

Malaysia had the biggest representation of four divers in Sydney in 2000, which was also the first time the country competed in Olympic diving.

Men’s 3m springboard synchro: China, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, Ukraine, Canada, United States, Great Britain.

Women’s 3m springboard synchro: China, Canada, Australia, Italy, United States, Ukraine, Malaysia, Great Britain.

Men’s 10m platform synchro: China, Germany, Ukraine, Mexico, United States, Cuba, Russia, Great Britain.

Women’s 10m platform synchro: China, Australia, Germany, Canada, Ukraine, Malaysia, Mexico, Great Britain.