KUALA LUMPUR: Diminutive Pandelela Rinong (pic) has a big burden on her shoulders when she features in her first competition for the year at the FINA Diving World Cup in London next week.
Pandelela, fresh from a month-long training stint in China, will have three events on her hands as she is also forming a new combination with Cheong Jun Hoong for the women’s synchro 3m springboard.
Wendy Ng formed the top combination with Leong Mun Yee to reach the World Championships final in Shanghai and take gold at the Indonesia SEA Games last year.
Pandelela is already down to compete in the women’s individual 10m platform and the synchro 10m platform along with regular partner Mun Yee.
The World Cup from Feb 20-26 is the second and final Olympic qualifying tournament. It is also an Olympic test event. To date, 45 countries have confirmed their participation.
Malaysia already have three divers – Pandelela, Bryan Nickson Lomas and Yeoh Ken Nee – who have qualified for the Olympics on merit but are hopeful of increasing the numbers.
Head coach Yang Zhuliang is also aiming for Malaysia to qualify for the syncho events for the first time in Olympic history, especially where the chances to fight for a medal are better considering only eight pairs get in.
Zhuliang, who picked the divers after returning with them from a training stint in Guangdong province, believes Pandelela is up to the task despite the hectic schedule.
“Mun Yee is more experienced in the springboard but Pandelela is much younger and able to recover faster.
“It is a gamble on a new pairing but they have been training together in China. Pandelela will focus on the synchro disciplines as we have not qualified before.
“As for the individual, she has already qualified and the pressure is not so great. There are four more places remaining in the World Cup for all the synchro disciplines and we have to fight it out with six or seven other countries,” he said.
For the synchro disciplines, the first three spots were handed out to the medallists from the world meet in Shanghai last year while the top 12 finalists qualified for the individual event.
For the World Cup, the Malaysian divers need to advance to the semi-finals to claim a place at the Olympics.
The men’s synchro 10m platform sees back-up divers Pardika Indoma combine with Abdul Rashid while Zhuliang is likely to field Huang Qiang with Bryan for the men’s synchro 3m springboard.
“I have not decided yet although Huang is doing much better in training. We still have time to decide and if he is not ready, Bryan goes back to partner Ken Nee,” he added.
The team will leave for London tonight.
Men: Yeoh Ken Nee, Bryan Nickson Lomas, Ooi Tze Liang, Pardika Indoma, Abdul Rashid.
Women: Leong Mun Yee, Pandelela Rinong, Wendy Ng Yan Yee, Cheong Jun Hoong, Traisie Vivien.
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