DIVING: Coaching Boost For Juniors

SEALED: NSC hires two former China champions to groom them

TWO former diving champions from China have been hired to groom the national juniors towards the 2016 Olympic Games.

Former World University Games gold medallists Wu Minghong and Pan Zhaowei, will officially report to national coach Yang Zhuliang today.

The recently-retired Yeoh Ken Nee and Rossharisham Roslan were also recruited recently to beef-up the coaching set-up to handle the 15-member squad, comprising senior and junior divers.

Minghong and Zhaowei, both 26, were gold medallists for China in springboard at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade while the former was also a double gold medallist in the World Grand Prix leg in Moscow, two years ago.

Ken Nee and Rossharisham won the country's first silver medal in diving at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha in the men's 3m springboard synchro.

Rossharisham quit the national squad two years ago and became a competition judge while Ken Nee followed suit after the London Olympics, where he became the first local male diver to qualify for a final.

Zhuliang said Minghong and Zhaowei are on a two year-contract with the National Sports Council.

"They were former members of the China national team but were never selected for priority competitions. However, they did win medals in the China National Games," said Zhuliang yesterday.

"Minghong is the son of the chief coach from the Guangdong province, where they have produced several world and Olympic champions.

"They will report for duty tomorrow (today). I am confident they will fit nicely into our coaching set-up."

Ken Nee and Rossharisham have already started coaching. The other coaches are Huang Qiang, Zhang Yikun and Lan Wei.

With the additional coaches, Zhuliang now plans to restructure the coaching programme.

"We have 15 divers here and we will invite three or four young divers from Sarawak, Perak and Kuala Lumpur to join us next year.

"With more coaches, the divers will get more personal attention. It's better for one coach to work on two or three divers, especially those from the back-up squad, to help them progress before the 2016 Olympics.

"I have high hopes on some of the juniors like Mohd Nazreen, Chew Yiwei, Loh Zhiayi, Nor Dhabitah, and Adeline Chin. With additional coaches, they will not be neglected whenever I bring the seniors to China for training," Zhuliang added."

Read more: DIVING: Coaching boost for juniors - Other - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/diving-coaching-boost-for-juniors-1.165401#ixzz2B1fyzOoQ