ASUM Admit Divers Only In Race For The Lesser Medals

FOCUS ON DIVING

COMPETITION DATES: Nov 22-26
VENUE: Aoti Aquatics Centre
EVENTS
MEN: 1m springboard, 3m springboard, 10m platform, 3m springboard synchronised, 10m platform synchronised.
WOMEN: 1m springboard, 3m springboard, 10m platform, 3m springboard synchronised, 10m platform synchronised.
MEDALS AT STAKE: 10-10-10
TEAM MALAYSIA
MEN: Yeoh Ken Nee, Bryan Nickson Lomas, Ooi Tze Liang, Mohd Fakhrul.
WOMEN: Leong Mun Yee, Pandelela Rinong, Wendy Ng Yan Yee, Traisy Vivien, Cheong Jun Hoong.
COACHES: Yang Zhuliang, Lan Wei, Huang Qiang.
TEAM MANAGER: Siow Kian Wah.
MEDAL TARGET: Better the achievement in Doha.
PREVIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS: Busan 2002: 0-0-3 (Bronze: Yeoh Ken Nee – men’s 3m springboard, Yeoh Ken Nee-Rossharisham Roslan – men’s 3m springboard synchronised, Leong Mun Yee-Farah Begum Abdullah – women’s 3m springboard synchronised).
DOHA 2006: 0-1-3 (Silver: Yeoh Ken Nee- Rossharisham Roslan – men’s 3m springboard synchronised; Bronze: Elizabeth Jimie – women’s 1m springboard, Leong Mun Yee – women’s 3m springboard, Leong Mun Yee-Elizabeth Jimie – women’s 3m springboard synchronised).

DIVING has been one of the major success stories from the Jaya ‘98 programme as the divers have evolved from just making up the numbers at the SEA Games level to become medallists at the World Championships and, just recently, the Commonwealth Games.

(The Jaya ‘98 programme was initiated to bring success in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.)

The Malaysian diving squad will now be heading to Guangzhou seeking to establish themselves as the second best nation behind China at the Asian Games level.

The national divers may not be facing the likes of Australia, Britain and Canada, as was the case in New Delhi, but it still won’t be a stroll in cool Guangzhou either because they will be up against not just China but also divers from Japan and South Korea.

Pandelela Rinong heads for the Asian Games fresh from her historic gold medal feat in New Delhi, where she put to shame Australian Olympic medallists Melissa Wu and Alexandra Croak with a come-from-behind win in the 10m platform individual final.

The Sarawakian youngster also bagged a silver with Leong Mun Yee in the 10m platform synchronised event and stands a good chance of delivering a double in her Asiad debut.

Yeoh Ken Nee and Bryan Nickson will be hoping to do likewise in the men’s competition, where they will be contending in the springboard and platform disciplines respectively. Ken Nee will also be hoping to defend the silver he won with Rossharisham Roslan in the 3m springboard synchronised event in Doha four years ago. But this time he will be partnering Bryan.

In Doha, Malaysia also bagged three bronze medals from the girls’ competition and the current squad should be aiming for a clutch of silvers.

That will still be an achievement indeed if the divers can pull it off, taking into account the high level of opposition in Guangzhou.

Seven out of China’s 35 Olympic champions set to grace the Asian Games are in the diving squad, who bagged seven of the eight gold medals at stake at the Beijing Olympics two years ago.

Diving star Guo Jinjing is the only one missing from the squad, who also clinched seven gold medals at the World Championships in Rome last year.

Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) secretary Edwin Chong admitted that “Malaysia are in the race for the lesser medals when it comes to diving at the Asian Games in Guangzhou”.

“The fact that the Chinese divers are competing on homeground makes it even harder as no judge will dare to mark them down,” claimed Edwin.

“The only way for another diver to win is if the Chinese opponent makes a big mistake.

“The problem is they are very consistent and hardly make mistakes as it could be the end of their hopes of competing at the next Olympics.

“As for our top divers, like Pandelela, Mun Yee, Bryan and Ken Nee, the best we can hope for is for them to split the two Chinese divers in the individual to earn a silver.

“It will be a great achievement and it will give us plenty to look forward to at the next Olympics in London in two years’ time.

“We took home four medals in Doha and we are optimistic of improving on the haul.

“Our divers have come a long way. We could not even fight for a bronze at the SEA Games level when the National Sports Council (NSC) helped us set up the diving programme back in 1994. But we have since dominated the sport at the regional level and taken it higher.

“The improvement is there for everyone to see compared to when we won our first diving medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.”

The national divers returned to China after the Commonwealth Games campaign and will head straight to Guangzhou.

Bryan Signs Off With Bronze

Bryan Nickson Lomas performs his routine in the 10m platform final at the SP Mukherjee Aquatic Complex yesterday.

THE presence of the reigning Olympic and world champions brought the best out of Bryan Nickson Lomas as the Malaysian took the 10m platform bronze at the SP Mukherjee Aquatic Complex yesterday.

England's world champion Tom Daley and Australia's Beijing Olympics gold medallist Matthew Mitcham were awesome names in the field but Bryan, who won the 3m synchro springboard bronze with Yeoh Ken Nee on Tuesday, held his own as he denied the rest of the 11-man field.In fact, silver was within reach but Bryan's final dive scored only 72.00, which allowed Mitcham to pull ahead for second place.

The Malaysian, however, can take pride in the fact that his fifth dive, which scored 98.05, was the highest of the night.

"Daley and Mitcham are simply too good but I am proud to have won this medal, especially as this was a really tough field," said Bryan, 20.Bryan scored a total 487.15 for the bronze while Daley was the runaway winner with 538.35. Mitcham scored 509.15 for the silver. Malaysia's other representative Ooi Tze Liang finished seventh with 411.15.

Bryan was third after his first dive but the second dive, which scored a mere 64.35, left him on the backfoot as Daley and Mitcham were consistently scoring in the high 80s.In the end, the difference between them and Bryan was their consistency but with age on his side, the sky is the limit for Bryan and he can look forward to the Asian Games next month with hope.In the women's 3m springboard, Ng Yan Yee finished eighth but for the diving squad, the pool at the SP Mukherjee Aquatic Complex proved lucky for them as they ended their campaign with one gold, one silver and two bronze.

Bryan Reaps Another Bronze Among World-Class Rivals

HIS preparations in the lead-up to the Delhi Games were not all smooth but Bryan Nickson Lomas (pic) can walk tall after claiming the bronze medal in the 10m platform men’s individual event at the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Sports Complex last night.

The bronze was a high quality medal as he finished behind two divers regarded as the best in the high board discipline, reigning world champion Tom Daley of England and reigning Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham of Australia.

The 16-year-old Daley produced an extraordinary performance on his last dive to garner 94.05 to pip Mitcham to clinch his first Commonwealth Games platform gold medal.

Daley finished on 538.35 and Mitcham chalked up 509.15.

The 20-year-old Bryan leapt to bronze medal position after the first two jumps and held on to finish the six-dive routine on 487.15.

He even earned a 98.05 for his fifth dive, which turned out to be the highest ever awarded for the 10m platform discipline.

It was the second medal for Bryan after a bronze medal winning effort too in the 3m springboard synchronised event on Tuesday with Yeoh Ken Nee.

Malaysia will thus leave the diving arena with the distinction of having at least one medal-winning effort in all four days of competition.

The team also achieved a best-ever meal haul of 1-1-2 in Commonwealth Games diving. Malaysia went on the medal board for the first time at the 2006 Melbourne Games with two silvers.

Pandelela Rinong clinched a historic gold medal for Malaysia in the women’s 10m platform and partnered Leong Mun Yee for silver in the 10m platform synchronised event.

And Bryan, who only qualified sixth best for the final, heaved a sigh of relief after accomplishing his target to get a first individual medal at the Commonwealth Games.

“I was not feeling good coming here as I injured my calf muscles during training in China,” he said.

“I was getting better but I was not so confident over whether I can take the strain even though I raised my difficulties. I’m happy to take bronze as the field is like in the world championships.”
At the Melbourne Games, the Sarawakian won silver with James Sandayud in the 10m synchronised event.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Wendy Ng finished eighth in the 3m springboard women’s final on 290.15.

Pandelela On Cloud Nine After 10m Platform Gold

Malaysia's Pandelela Pamg competes in the women's 10m platform event during the Commonwealth Games at the Dr. S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Center in New Delhi, India, yesterday.

NEW DELHI Oct 11 — Diver Pandelela Rinong clinched Malaysia”s seventh gold medal of the Commonwealth Games with a sizzling performance in the women”s 10m Platform diving at the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Aquatic Complex here today.

The 17-year-old Sarawakian who had won a silver medal in women”s 10m synchronized diving with Leong Mun Yee yesterday, amassed 371.05 points for the gold.

Her compatriot Traisy Vivien Tukiet, another Sarawakian lass who had won the SUKMA diving gold in Melaka from the 10m platform in June, however could only manage ninth spot with 310.55 points.

Despite the defeat, Traisy was still able to spot a smile when celebrating Pandelela”s victory with other diving officials.

Australian diver Melissa Wu collected the silver while another Aussie, Alexandra Croak took the bronze.

Meanwhile, in the men”s 3m Springboard, Yeoh Ken Nee , Bryan Nickson Lomas, and Muhammad Fakhrul Md Zain managed only a sixth, seventh and 10th place respectively from the 12 divers who competed.

Alexandre Despatie and Rueben Ross from Canada won gold and silver medal while Grant Nel of Australian won bronze.

Diving events continue tomorrow with the men”s 10m Synchro Platform, where Malaysia will be represented by Ooi Tze Liang and Abd Rashid Muhammad.

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Leong Mun Yee and Cheong Jun Hoong will compete in Women”s 1m Springboard while Bryan, Ken Nee, Muhammad Fakhrul and Ahmad Amsyar will take part in the men”s 3M Synchro Springboard. — Bernama

Magnificent Pandelela

Pandelela Rinong performs her routine in the 10m platform yesterday. Pandelela scored 371.05 points to win gold.

THE Negaraku was played for the first time ever at a Commonwealth Games aquatics venue yesterday and Malaysia had the impish Pandelela Rinong to thank for.

The 16-year-old, who has shown so much promise, proved that the faith in her was justified with a magnificent win in the 10m platform, a result which pushed the world class Australians into second and third place.

It was also the end of the bridesmaid's tag for Pandelela, who had won two silver in the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore and in the Commonwealth Games, and was runner-up with Leong Mun Yee in the 10m platform synchro silver on Sunday.

Her gold was delivered in stunning style as Pandelela, just like she and Mun Yee needed on Sunday, had to produce a superb dive to pip Australian Melissa Wu to the gold and that is exactly what she did.

"I dedicate this gold medal to my parents for the support they have given me," said Pandelela.It was a triumph which had not looked possible after her second dive, which gave her a mere 58.05 points after opening with a 79.50.

If her first dive had given her a four-point lead over Melissa, the second saw her dropping to fourth. "I felt a little frustrated as after my first dive, I thought I had a chance of winning gold but the second dive kind of spoilt it."But Pandelela displayed maturity beyond her years as she pulled herself together.

"I told myself to just focus on my remaining dives as I still had a chance for a medal finish and that was very important."She also kept reminding herself that she had beaten the Australian in last year's world championships, where Pandelela finished fifth and Melissa sixth.That saw her edging closer and closer to Melissa and when Pandelela, who was the last to dive by virtue of finishing qualifying as the top ranked diver, made her way to the platform, her coach's advise was ringing in her ears.

"He told me to think only of a perfect dive and nothing else. The Australian was still in the lead but if I executed my final dive perfectly, the gold would be mine."Which she did and the judges rewarded her with 81.60, the highest scoring dive of the night, and gold was won by the slimmest of margins as Pandelela's final score was 371.05 while Melissa had 369.50. Bronze was won by another Australian, Alexandra Croak.

Malaysia's challenge in the men's 3m springboard ended with Yeoh Ken Nee the best finisher in sixth place with 422.30 points. Bryan Nickson Lomas was seventh (419.30) while Muhd Fakhrul Md Zain (381.50) was 10th.That didn't matter though and as Pandelela took her medal march, the impish smile was firmly on her face and her thoughts were with her parents but she had done the whole of Malaysia proud.

First-ever Commonwealth Games Diving Gold Medal For Malaysia

PANDELELA Rinong knew her destiny was in her hands as she stepped up to make her final plunge, knowing that she needed to score at least 80.05 to create one of the biggest upsets in Commonwealth Games diving history.
And a cool Pandelela rose to the occasion, barely caused a ripple as she plunged into the pool to win a first-ever diving gold medal for Malaysia in the Games series at the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Stadium last night.

Pandelela broke into smiles after she glanced at the scoreboard and knew the women’s 10m platform gold was for her as she flashed a victory sign.

She was rewarded with a 81.60 to overcome the 0.5 deficit with a total of 371.05 to clinch the seventh gold medal for Malaysia in the Delhi Games.

Melissa Wu, the 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medallist and gold medallist in the 10m platform synchronised event on Sunday, was the leader going into the final dive but she had to settle for silver on 369.50. The bronze went to another Australian, Alexandra Croak, on 355.40.

Pandelela had raised hopes that she could be the one to break the dominance of Australia, England and Canada in Commonwealth Games diving after making it to the final as the top qualifier.

She was expecting stiff competition in the final but to her credit gave a determined performance when the chips were down.

“I was about 15 points adrift after the second dive and I was not confident of a gold then,” said the 17-year-old Bidayuh lass, who hails from Bau, a small town near Kuching.

“But I was not about to give up. I always listen to my coach’s advice on not to give up. I did well in the last two dives. I knew I had won the competition after I came out of the water in the last attempt.”

Pandelela’s confidence was also in place as she finished better than Melissa en route to taking fifth place in the world championships in Rome last year.

It is Pandelela’s second medal in her debut Games appearance after taking silver with Leong Mun Yee in the 10m platform synchronised discipline on Sunday.

Yeoh Ken Nee failed to grab a first medal in the Delhi Games, finishing sixth in the men’s 3m springboard final in which Beijing Olympic silver medallist Alexandre Despatie led Reuben Ross to a 1-2 for Canada.

Ken Nee scored 422.30, just ahead of compatriot Bryan Nickson Lomas, who chalked up 419.30. The third Malaysian finalist, Mohd Fakhrul, was placed 10th on 381.50.

It was the second gold medal won by Despatie after coming out tops in the 1m springboard final on Sunday.

Mun Yee-Pandelela Bag Silver With Near Perfect Final Plunge

DIVERS Leong Mun Yee-Pandelela Rinong soared on a magnificent final plunge to nail a silver medal in the women’s 10m platform synchronised event at the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Sports Complex last night.

However, the first-ever medal for Malaysia in Commonwealth Games women’s diving almost did not materialise as Mun Yee-Pandelela were lying in fifth position with two more dives to go.
But the duo moved into medal contention after the fourth attempt and confirmed their place in the history books with a near-perfect final dive, which earned them 82.56.

It was the highest score on the board in the competition last night and elevated them to second place on a total of 328.38.

Australia’s Olympic silver medallists Melissa Wu-Alexandra Croak led from start till the end to secure gold on 335.76. Australia also grabbed the bronze through Briony Cole-Sarah Barrow, who chalked up 319.68.

Malaysians Cheong Jun Hoong-Traisy Vivien fell out of a podium finish. They were in second spot with two remaining dives but failed to hold on and settled for fifth on 316.38.

Mun Yee felt that they let slip the chance to win the gold medal with a poor start.

“We did not do that well in the first two dives and we slipped. Otherwise, we would have done better,” said 25-year-old, who was competing in her fourth Commonwealth Games.

“But going into the final dive, we were confident that a medal was ours as we have pulled it off well in practice.”

Pandelela, the winner of two silver medals in the Youth Olympics in Singapore in August, was happy to have made a medal-winning debut in the Commonwealth Games.

“It will give me the confidence to do well in my remaining events. I will try my best as we are competing with top divers here,” said the 16-year-old, who will dive in the 10m platform individual today.

In the women’s 3m springboard synchronised event yesterday morning, Mun Yee partnered Wendy Ng for sixth place.

Yeoh Ken Nee, the silver medallist at the 2006 Melbourne Games, settled for fourth place in the 1m springboard.

He chalked up 385.70 points behind Canadian Ross Reuben, who took bronze on 400.10. Fellow Malaysian Bryan Nickson was placed seventh on 370.80. Bryan had qualified just ahead of Ken Nee for the top 12 final earlier in sixth place.

Olympic silver medallist Alexandre Despatie of Canada successfully defended his 1m springboard title with a score of 468.15. Matthew Mitcham of Australia, the 10m platform gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, settled for silver on 441.

Rich Pickings For SEA Games’ Best Athlete Daniel

PUTRAJAYA: Swimmer Daniel Bego boosted his bank account by RM29,000 after becoming the biggest recipient of the Laos SEA Games incentive awards given out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday.

Only the SEA Games gold medallists were rewarded and Daniel topped the list with his stunning five-gold performance in Vientiane.

Previous Malaysian male swimmers had never won more than two individual gold medals in a single Games but Daniel topped the list by coming out tops in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle as well as in the 100m butterfly.

Grand total: Daniel Bego shows off the trophy and the mock cheque for RM29,000 Tuesday.

The 20-year-old Sarawakian also secured an additional RM4,000 for setting four new SEA Games records.
The only event in which he did not lower the Games record was in the 200m butterfly.

Daniel, who also smashed the longest existing record in the 400m freestyle and was later named Best Male Athlete of the 25th edition of the Games, said the Asian and

Commonwealth Games would be his major goals this year.

“These are the two big meets which I hope to do well in. This is the first time I have qualified on merit for the Commonwealth and Asian Games. I have my A-level examinations some time in June and I plan to step up training after that,” said Daniel, who is also hotly tipped to win the Male Olympian of the Year award for the second successive time on Saturday.

A total of RM230,000 were handed out yesterday and aquatics, which accounted for 15 out of the 40 gold medals won by the Malaysian contingent, took the biggest share of the pie with a total of RM83,000.

Woman swimmer Siow Yi Ting was the second biggest individual recipient with RM18,000 for winning three gold medals in new SEA Games record times.

Fellow woman swimmer Khoo Cai Lin completed the list for swimming with RM6,000 while divers Yeoh Ken Nee, Bryan Nickson Lomas, Pandelela Rinong, Leong Mun Yee and Wendy Ng Yan Yee collectively earned RM30,000.

The national football team, who ended a 20-year gold medal drought in Laos, received RM20,000.

Completing the list were athletics (RM32,000), karate (RM25,000), pencak silat (RM20,000), wushu (RM15,000), badminton (RM15,000), boxing (RM10,000), taekwondo (RM5,000) and archery (RM5,000).

Divers Contribute Two More Gold Medals

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Below: Pandelela showing off her gold medal with Yeoh Ken Nee, who won the men’s 3m springboard event.

Flag Bearer Ken Nee Relishing A Flying Start

All the best: Malaysian Sea Games contigent chef-de-mission datuk Dr. Ramlan Aziz holding the Malaysia flag with Yeoh ken Nee

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