DIVING: Lucky escape for Traisy

Traisy Vivien Tukiet missed the last two legs of the Diving Grand Prix. 

POOR MAINTENANCE: Uneven walkway curb at complex nearly ends her career


THE poor condition of the walkway at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil almost ended Traisy Vivien Tukiet's Olympic dream.

Traisy suffered a foot injury when she stepped on one of the uneven walkway curbs, which subsequently kept her out of the recent Diving Grand Prix legs in Canada and the United States.

The 18-year-old was told not to compete nor train until she got medical clearance and, thankfully, a test revealed that it was only a minor injury.

However, Traisy, who reported for training about a week ago, is not pushing herself just yet. She wants to make a full recovery before making a 100 per cent effort to prepare for her Olympics debut in London.

She made the Olympic cut for the 10-metre platform individual at the FINA Diving World Cup in London.

"I am feeling much better but I must not get back into serious training too quickly. I am lucky that my injury was not serious," said Traisy, who bagged her first Sea Games title in the platform synchro with Leong Mun Yee at last year's Indonesia edition.

Her injury, however, has deprived her of competitions as the national team are unlikely to compete again until the Olympics.

The national team, comprising eight Olympic-bound divers and reserve, Ooi Tze Liang, left for China on Sunday for a two-month training stint in Dali.

Coach Yang Zhuliang said the high altitude training in Dali will help his divers perform better at the Olympics.

"My divers were also in Dali before the World Cup in London where many of them made a huge impact. The two-month stint is our final preparation for the London Games.

"It is serious training there as everyone will be focused on improving their dives without distraction.

"I want all of them to just focus on their training as only by working hard will success come," said Zhuliang.

The Olympic-bound divers are Bryan Nickson Lomas, Yeoh Ken Nee, Huang Quang, Pandelela Rinong, Cheong Jun Hoong, Wendy Ng, Mun Yee and Traisy.

Tze Liang could also join them in London provided some foreign divers do not qualify for the Olympics, in accordance with their respective countries' tough qualifying system.

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