Tze Liang and Wendy can still qualify for the Olympics

PETALING JAYA: Ooi Tze Liang and Wendy Ng Yan Yee hold the key to Malaysia being represented in all the individual diving disciplines for the first time in Olympic history.

Tze Liang failed in his bid to reach the top 18 semi-finals of men’s 10m platform individual at the FINA Diving World Cup in London after finishing 33rd with 363.75 points.

Bryan Nickson Lomas scraped into the semi-finals in 17th position on 423.10 points ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Gleb Galperin of Russia, on 420.90.

But all is not lost for Tze Liang as he can still qualify for the Olympics on merit. He has to go into another dive-off today to fight for the 11 remaining tickets in the men’s platform while Wendy must battle for one of the 14 quota spots still available in the women’s 3m springboard.

Wendy failed in her bid to join Cheong Jun Hoong in the top 18 semi-finals to achieve Olympic qualification after only finishing 41st in the women’s springboard preliminaries on Thursday.

Jun Hoong’s form dropped in the semis and she did not advance to the final after only scoring 255.90 points to finish 18th.
Malaysia already have the maximum two quota spots in the men’s 3m springboard through (Yeoh Ken Nee and Bryan) and women’s 10m platform (Pandelela Rinong and Traisy Vivien Tukiet).

Bryan and Jun Hoong are the other individual qualifiers in men’s 10m platform and women’s 3m springboard.

Malaysia have also earned two quota spots for synchro disciplines for the first time in the men’s 3m springboard (Ken Nee-Huang Qiang) and women’s 10m platform (Pandelela-Leong Mun Yee).

Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia secretary Edwin Chong said all is not lost as Malaysia can still win two more quota spots through Tze Liang and Wendy but they have their work cut out.

“They have to cut down on their mistakes to get more eights and nines to stand a better chance of pulling through.

“In the preliminaries at this level, one bad dive is enough to pull your scores down,” he said.

Edwin explained the remaining spots are a result of countries, who have already qualified two divers through the World Championships in Shanghai last year, also finishing inside the top 18 semi-finals at the World Cup.

“In women’s springboard, for example, we have China, United States and Canada already earning the maximum two slots from the world championships,” he said.

“Their divers reached the semi-finals here in London and that frees up six slots, which will have to be decided between the ones from countries that have not qualified yet until the field of 38 divers are reached.”

Results

Women’s 3m springboard individual final: 

1. Wu Minxia (Chn) 368.95, 

2. He Zi (Chn) 365.40,

 3. Tania Cagnotto (Ita) 345.75, 

4. Pamela Ware (Can) 341.30,

 5. Anna Lindberg (Swe) 341.25, 

6. Laura Sanchez (Mex) 329.10, 

7. Christina Loukas (Usa) 327.65,

 8. Cassidy Krug (Usa) 326.10,

 9. Rebecca Gallantree (Gbr) 315.90,

 10. Emilie Heymans (Can) 307.35, 

11. Olena Fedorova (Ukr) 305.30, 

12. Joselyn Castillo (Ven) 288.90.

Men’s 10m platform preliminaries (top 18 qualify for semis):

1. Lin Yue (Chn) 519.80, 

2. Qiu Bo (Chn) 506.75, 

3. Christofer Eskilsson (Swe) 498.95, 

4. Matthew Mitcham (Aus) 498.90, 

5. German Sanchez (Mex) 489.60, 

6. Victor Minibaev (Rus) 472.80, 

7. Rommel Pacheco (Mex) 467.25, 

8. Martin Wolfram (Ger) 466.40, 

9. Oleksandr Bondar (Ukr) 466.05, 

10. Patrick Hausding (Ger) 453.50, 

11. Jose Guerra (Cub) 449.85, 

12. David Boudia (Usa) 445.25, 

13. Sebastian Villa Castaneda (Col) 439.20, 

14. Hugo Parisi (Bra) 431.40, 

15. Vadim Kaptur (Blr) 431.00, 

16. Peter Waterfield (Gbr) 423.25, 

17. Bryan Nickson Lomas (Mas) 423.10, 

18. Gleb Galperin (Rus) 420.90.

Selected: 33. Ooi Tze Liang (Mas) 363.75.