Pandelela must improve in order to get medal in Edinburgh

Another award in the bag: Pandelela Rinong seen here during a special awards night in her honour in Kuching last August. She is the favourite to bag the Sportswoman of the Year award in Kuala Lumpur tonight.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pandelela Rinong needs to get over the 80-point barrier when she competes in the third leg of the FINA Diving World Series in Edinburgh, Scotland, this weekend.

Pandelela returned to competition for the first time since the London Olympics to clinch a bronze in the individual platform in last month’s opening leg in Beijing. She scored 337.75 points.

But she had a good wake-up call in the following leg in Dubai. Despite scoring higher in Dubai, Pandelela had to be contented with only a fifth placing with a 353.50 total.

In both the legs, Pandelela failed to break the 80-point barrier.

Each dive is worth 100 points. Only the Chinese divers are capable of breaking the 80-point barrier.

Pandelela, the Olympic bronze medallist, is aware that the standard of the 10m platform individual is higher than ever. She has no other options but to further improve on her dives if she wants to finish on the podium.

Pandelela will be up against a tougher field this weekend. China have entered a second diver – untested rookie Si Yajie – alongside reigning world and Olympic champion Chen Ruolin.

Canadian Meaghan Benfeito, who took silver behind Ruolin in Beijing and Dubai, is skipping the third leg but Australia’s Olympic silver medallist Brittany Broben, Mexico’s Orozco Alejandra and Russia’s Yulia Koltunova, bronze medallist in Dubai, will be present.

“It’s a good wake-up call. I was blown away by all of them in Dubai.

“In Edinburgh, I need to produce at least one or two good dives that can get me past the 80-point barrier or at least maintain an average of 75 points to stand a chance to win a medal.

“I have been training really hard for the past few weeks to get myself prepared for Edinburgh and then in the fourth leg in Moscow the following week. I hope for better things,” said the 20-year-old, who will also compete in the 10m platform synchro with Cheong Jun Hoong.

Jun Hoong will also dive in the 3m springboard synchro with Wendy Ng Yan Yee while Ahmad Amsyar and Ooi Tze Liang will compete in the men’s 3m springboard synchro.

The divers left for Edinburgh last night, except for Pandelela.

Pandelela is staying back for today’s National Sports Awards.

She is the hot favourite to claim the Sportswoman of the Year award for the second straight occasion.