National Swimmers Off To An Unimpressive Start In Barcelona

Kevin Yeap finished 36th out of 48 competitors in the men's 400m freestyle. - GLENN GUAN / The Star

BARCELONA: It was an unimpressive start for the national swimmers at the World Championships here today.

Kevin Yeap was the first Malaysian to go into action at the Palau Sant Jordi pool. He clocked 3:59.08 in the 400m freestyle heats to finish 36th out of 48 competitors. It was way off his national record of 3:53.26 he set at the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil in May this year.

The only consolation for Kevin, the defending SEA Games champion, was that he was the top swimmer from South East-Asia ahead of Vietnam’s Pham Thanh Nguyen, who was placed 43rd with a time of 4:13.91. Sun Yang, China’s reigning Olympic champion, qualified fastest in 3:44.67.


Khoo Cai Lin swam in the same heat as American favourite Katie Ledecky in the women’s 400m freestyle. But Cai Lin failed to be inspired as she clocked 4:23.67 to be placed 30th overall. Ledecky, the London Olympic gold medallist in the 800m freestyle, was fastest in 4:03.05.

Cai Lin, who holds the national record of 4:10.75, will have to work harder now to bridge the gap ahead of the Myanmar SEA Games in December as she has fallen behind Lynette Lim of Singapore (22nd, 4:14.76) and Natthanan Junkrajang of Thailand (30th, 4:19.77).

As for Siow Yi Ting, she clocked 2:17.90 in the 200m individual medley heats to finish 32nd – the best performer from South-East Asia – ahead of Singapore’s Samantha Yeo (38th, 2:20.19).

Diving: Tze Liang Came A Cropper In Barcelona

Tze Liang's fifth dive sets him back from making the top-12 final in Barcelona. -GLENN GUAN/The Star

BARCELONA: His body entered the water at the wrong angle for a lowly 49.50 in the fifth dive and young Ooi Tze Liang’s hopes of following in the footsteps of Bryan Nickson Lomas in making it to the World Championships final of the men’s 10m platform was gone.

Tze Liang, the last Malaysian diver in action, was all set to achieve a breakthrough by making it to the top 12-final for the first time as he was in 12th spot with two dives remaining.

He did well to string 72.00 for the first three dives and remained inside the decisive bracket with a 74.25 in the fourth dive.

But the big splash in the fifth dive pulled him down to 15th.

Tze Liang recovered with a final dive of 72.00 but there was nothing he could do as he ended 14th with 411.75.

Tze Liang did well earlier to reach the top-18 semis for the first time, amassing a personal best 412.55 for 12th spot.

Tze Liang even fared better than fancied British diver Tom Daley, who finished a rung below with 406.40.

However, Daley, the world champion in Rome in 2009 and the London Olympic bronze medallist, came back strongly to qualify for the final.

Daley finished seventh with 452.70 while reigning Olympic champion David Boudia of United States topped the semis with 534.40.

Mexico’s Ivan Garcia was second with 522.60 while defending champion Qiu Bo of China, the Beijing Olympic gold medallist in 2008, was sixth in 457.55.

Tze Liang expressed mixed feelings on his inconsistency but was pleased to have given his best considering he was placed 21st in his world meet debut in Shanghai in 2011.

“I achieved a personal best and scored better than what I managed in Shanghai.

“I was not having too high expectations of breaking into the final in the first place as I know I still have to a lot to learn and to catch up with the world’s best.“Moreover, I have not trained much for the individual platform as I had to do the synchro springboard (with Ahmad Amsyar) after Bryan quit recently.”

Pandelela Inconsolable After Missing Out On A Medal

BARCELONA: A dismayed Pandelela Rinong was trying to hold back her tears as she walked back to the team area after finishing her last dive of the 15th World Championships at the Montjuic Municipal Pool on Thursday.

Everyone watching must have felt pity for her as a gust of wind blew her hopes away as she eventually finished sixth in the women’s 10m platform final.

Pandelela’s decision to re-take her third dive – an armstand back double somersault and twist – cost her points deduction of two each from the seven judges. She only earned 54.40 and with her confidence shaken, only managed 56.00 for the next dive.

The London Olympic bronze medallist recovered with a 76.80 but her chances of picking up a second medal here was long gone as she completed her event with a total of 334.55 points.

The bronze was heading Pandelela’s way as she was in third position after the two routine dives. In the end, Ukraine’s Iuliia Prokopchuk, the reigning European champion, snatched the bronze with 358.40 points.

Chinese stand-out Si Yajie, yet to turn 15 and with less than a year’s experience competing outside her country, pulled off a big upset by beating her illustrious team-mate and defending champion Chen Ruolin to the gold medal.

Yajie amassed 392.15 points while two-time Olympic gold medallist Ruolin settled for silver with 388.70 points. It was the second silver for Ruolin, who was beaten to second place in Rome in 2009 by Mexico’s Paola Espinosa on the high board discipline.

Gutted was the best word to describe Pandelela’s emotions as she put up a brave front when asked what happened to her. “There was strong wind blowing suddenly and I lost balance while I was balancing myself.

“I had to take it again and I knew I was not going to get a good score as my points will be deducted.

“But I had no choice. I don’t want to end up like this.

“I believed I had a good chance to get my first individual medal but it’s not mine in the end,” said the disappointed Pandelela, who finished fifth twice in this event in Rome (2009) and Shanghai (2011).

There is no choice but for Pandelela to accept that Thursday was not her day and she had no choice but to learn from the bitter experience.

Pandelela will still return home with a medal as she partnered Leong Mun Yee to reclaim the women’s 10m platform synchro bronze they first won in Rome.

Diving: Pandelela Eyes Second Medal After Reaching Individual Final

On track: Pandelela Rinong in action during the women’s individual 10m platform semi-final in the World Championships at the Montjuic Municipal Pool on Wednesday. — GLENN GUAN / The Star

HER place in history is assured but diver Pandelela Rinong is hoping to achieve more than that after reaching the women’s individual 10m platform final in the World Championships at the Montjuic Municipal Pool.

Yesterday, Pandelela became the first-ever Malaysian diver to qualify for three consecutive individual finals at a world meet.

Pandelela, who was fifth twice in Rome (2009) and Shanghai (2011), amassed 314.15 points in the semi-finals.

Reigning Olympic and defending world champion Che Ruolin of China got her act together to lead the top 12 qualifiers with 373.65 points. Britain’s Tonia Couch (368.15) was second.

Ruolin’s team-mate Si Yajie came in third with 341.85 points while London Olympics silver medallist Brittany Broben was shockingly eliminated after placing 16th (287.30).

However, Pandelela will be wary of how quickly her fortunes can change on the high board, after experiencing it twice in the semi-finals yesterday.

She started well by earning the highest score of 76.50 to tie with Chinese rookie Yajie at the top but plumetted to ninth after earning 53.65 in her next dive. But Pandelela redeemed herself with a superb armstand routine, earning 81.60 to jump back to fourth in the field of 18 semi-finalists.

She was then left in sheer frustration after another bad entry earned her only 43.20.

Luckily for her, the others also messed up their dives at one point or another and Pandelela eventually ended up eighth after the fifth and final dive.

Diving: Pandelela Finishes Second In Women's Individual 10m Platform Preliminaries

Soaring high: Pandelela Rinong through to the semi-finals of the women's individual 10m platform in Barcelona. - GLENN GUAN / The Star

BARCELONA: Diver Pandelela Rinong began her bid to claim a second medal at the World Championships by finishing second in the preliminaries of the women’s individual 10m platform in Barcelona this morning.

The London Olympics bronze medallist chalked up 351.05 points and was the only diver to score above 80, earning an 81.60 for her fourth routine.

Chinese rookie Si Yajie amassed 360.35 points to top the field of 36 divers while team-mate and defending champion Chen Ruolin was third with 350.60 points after messing up her fourth dive.

But it was the end of the road for Traisy Vivien Tukiet, who failed to make the cut after finishing 30th with 244.95 points.

The top 18 advanced to the final to be held in the afternoon.

Pandelela had bagged a bronze with Leong Mun Yee in the platform synchro final on Monday.

Diving: Tze Liang-Ahmad Finished Sixth In Barcelona

BARCELONA: Youngsters Ooi Tze Liang and Ahmad Amsyar Azman can give themselves a pat on their backs after an impressive performance in the men’s 3m springboard synchro final at the Montjuic Municipal Pool on Tuesday.

The duo pulled off their finest performance as a pair to date to finish sixth in a final field of 12 pairs, sailing past the 400-point barrier for the first time.

With good ranking points at stake, they will not have to ride on the achievements of their team-mates to compete at the Diving World Series as they virtually handed Malaysia a spot for next year’s event.

The Diving World Series is for the top eight elite divers and Tze Liang-Amsyar were given the chance to take part as London Olympic pair Huang Qiang-Bryan Nickson are no longer diving competitively.

Tze Liang-Amsyar also surpassed the best-ever Malaysian achievement of eighth spot in the discipine by Yeoh Ken Nee-Rosharisham Roslan in Melbourne in 2007.

China’s He Chong-Qin Kai (448.86) and Russia’s Ilia Zakharov-Evgeny Kuznetsov (428.01) were a class apart as they bagged the gold and silver respectively. Mexico’s Rommel Paheco-Jahir Ocampo (422.79) took the bronze.

Amsyar was delighted with their sixth placing, saying it has given him the confidence to look forward to the future.

“This is our best score. We’re pleased with our performance but there is still some way to go to be consistent. I need to train hard to be in contention if I want to compete in the Diving World Series next year,” he said.

Mun Yee Aims To Dive On Until The 2016 Rio Olympics

Leong Mun Yee stretches after a training session ahead of the FINA World Championships in Barcelona on July 19. — GLENN GUAN / The Star

BARCELONA: Leong Mun Yee reached the top of the world with Pandelela Rinong to claim their second career World Championships bronze medal in the women’s 10m platform synchro final at the Montjuic Municipal Pool on Monday.

And that has strengthened Mun Yee’s resolve to continue to plod on and achieve what no Malaysian athlete has done before – making a fifth Olympic appearance.

Mun Yee tied with sailor Kevin Lim when she partnered Pandelela to a seventh placing in the discipline at the London Olympics last August.

She now aims to go one step better and try for the only medal she has yet to achieve in her illustrious career.

Mun Yee has already achieved a first for aquatics by becoming the only diver to have made a sixth appearance at the world meet.

She has never missed out on the world meet since 2003 when, interestingly enough, Barcelona was the host.

“I think I can handle another Olympics. After Rio, I will retire (with a laugh). I realise I still love this sport and Rio will be my best chance to finish well.

“I want to compete in the next world meet in Kazan, Russia in 2015 as that’s the main qualification event for the Olympics ... so, I will continue to train at a pace suitable for me.“I’ve been partnering Pandelela for the last four years and experience is the key. It helps us get the consistency,” said Mun Yee, who is now 28 and the only remaining diver from the Jaya ’98 squad – the pioneer project funded by the National Sports Council (NSC) that has made Malaysian diving what it is today.

Pandelela-Mun Yee Clinch Bronze In Barcelona

 

Leong Mun Yee (left) and Pandelela Rinong posing with their bronze medals after the women’s 10m platform synchronised diving at the FINA World Championships in Piscina Municipal de Montjuic yesterday. — GLENN GUAN/The Star

BARCELONA: The big grin on Pandelela Rinong’s face after she completed the last dive with Leong Mun Yee told the whole story.

They let slip the silver medal with one dive to go but it was still mission achieved for the duo as they made World Championships history for Malaysia again with a bronze in the women’s 10m platform synchro final at the Montjuic Municipal Pool yesterday.

Pandelela-Mun Yee chalked the third highest total of 331.14 points to equal their ever achievement for the country at the world championships.

The duo previously delivered Malaysia their first-ever medal in world championships history by claiming bronze in the same discipline in the 2009 edition in Rome but they finished sixth in Shanghai two years later.

At the Olympics in London last year, Pandelela-Mun Yee were placed seventh in the final but yesterday saw them firmly re-establish their credentials as a world class pair.

But it could have been the silver as they were holding that position until Canadians Roseline Filion-Meaghan Benfeito overtook with a 81.60 for a final total of 331.41.

Malaysian pair were holding a good lead after the fourth dive but only managed 78.72 and allowed the Canadians, the Olympic bronze medallists in London last year, to sneak ahead.

Chinese favourites Chen Ruolin-Liu Huixia claimed the gold as expected with 356.28 points.

Diving: Pandelela-Mun Yee Cruise Into 10m Platform Synchro Final

Leong Mun Yee (bottom) and Pandelela Rinong finished third in the women’s 10m platform synchronised diving preliminaries at the FINA World Championships at Piscina Municipal de Montjuic on Monday. — GLENN GUAN / The Star

BARCELONA: Divers Pandelela Rinong-Leong Mun Yee breezed through to the women’s 10m platform synchro final but they can expect no favours from the opposition in their hope to win a prized World Championships medal at the Montjuic Municipal Pool.

Pandelela-Mun Yee finished third in the preliminaries with 310.98 points behind Olympic silver medallists Paola Espinosa-Alejandra Orozco of Mexico (314.25) and Chinese favourites Chen Ruolin-Liu Huixia (340.92).

The Malaysian pairing started well and were tied with China on 104.40 points after the first two jumps. Pandelela-Mun Yee, however, slipped to fifth with an untidy third dive but managed to come back to hold third placing. A 70.08 in the fifth and final dive saw them taking third just ahead of Canadians and London Olympic bronze medallists Meaghan Benfeito-Roseline Filion (308.40), Russians Yulia Timoshinina-Ekaterina Petukhova (308.04) and Great Britain’s Tonia Couch-Sarah Barrow (306.54).

Pandelela-Mun Yee gave Malaysia the only medal in world championships history by claiming bronze in this discipline in the 2009 edition in Rome but they finished sixth in Shanghai two years later.

The Malaysian pair will surely want to keep the momentum going to nail a place on the podium and head coach Yang Zhuliang can only pray things will work out their way.

“Their performance is okay. No big mistakes and enough to get them to the final. China look the strongest and I don’t think they can lose the gold.

“It will be tough for us as we are fighting with Canada, England, Australia and Mexico for a medal. After the preliminary rounds, these are the five teams who can win silver or bronze but all depends on the performance during the final,” said Zhuliang.

Pandelela-Mun Yee have made good impressions on the big stage so far this year with three medals at the Diving World Series this year, managing to take two silvers and one bronze from the five legs they participated.

A Very Patchy Start

Cheong Jun Hoong (right) and Pandelela Rinong compete in the women’s 3m synchro springboard preliminary diving event in the FINA World Championships at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuic in Barcelona on Saturday. — GLENN GUAN / The Star

MALAYSIAN divers kicked off their campaign with Pandelela Rinong-Cheong Jun Hoong easing through to the women’s 3m springboard synchro final in the World Championships at the Municipal Montjuic Pool yesterday.

It was a patchy performance from Pandelela-Jun Hoong, who were only competing together for the first time since the London Olympics last August, as they finished fifth with 283.50 points.

The Malaysian pair could have been in the top three but flopped their fourth attempt, earning only 50.40 points.

The duo dropped further to sixth with only one dive to go but they managed to move up to fifth, scoring 69.30 for the final attempt.

Twenty pairs took part in the preliminaries and only the top 12 go to the final.

Zhuliang Hopes For A Repeat Of Rome Feat

Dynamic duo: Pandelela Rinong (left) and Chong Jun Hoong during a training session ahead of the FINA World Championships in Barcelona on Friday. — GLENN GUAN / The Star

AN awesome natural sight awaits spectators and divers alike at the World Aquatics Championships diving venue located on the Montjuic Hill, overlooking the city of Barcelona.

The question is: Will the performance of the Malaysian divers be as spectacular as the scenic backdrop of this historic city?

That, at least, is what head coach Yang Zhuliang is hoping for when the competition gets under way today.

London Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong will partner Cheong Jun Hoong in the women’s 3m springboard synchro preliminary with hopes of making it to the final later in the day while Ahmad Amsyar and Chew Yiwei are hoping to make a good impression in the 1m springboard event.

The team have been practising at the outdoor venue for the last three days and Zhuliang is keeping his fingers crossed that the divers will be able to produce a repeat of the 2009 outing in Rome.

Then, Pandelela and Mun Yee made a historic breakthrough for Malaysia with a bronze in 10m platform synchro – the country’s only success at the world meet so far.

Malaysia did not win any medals at the previous world meet in Shanghai two years ago although Pandelela finished an impressive fifth in the individual platform discipline.

Pandelela has complained of back che upon arrival in Barcelona but Zhuliang is not overly concerned although his main diver has the most taxing schedule of three events compared to the rest of the divers.

Besides the 3m springboard synchro, Pandelela will partner Leong Mun Yee in the 10m platform synchro as well as the individual.

“There are no big injury worries ... otherwise it will be a headache for me as we are here with a small team. Pandelela feels a bit uncomfortable with her back but the doctor has been taking good care of the situation.

“It is an old problem, she always has it (some pain) here and there but she’s a strong girl and can handle it,” said Zhuliang, who is hoping for the best from the duo today.

Traisy Gets Last Chance To Save Spot In Elite Gquad

Last chance: National diver Traisy Vivian Tukiet.

PETALING JAYA: The World Championships, starting in Barcelona on Saturday, is likely to be the last major outing for woman platform diver Traisy Vivien Tukiet – unless she can rise to the occasion.

It was only two years ago that Traisy was considered the second best diver after Pandelela Rinong in the women’s platform discipline when she made an impressive World Championships debut in Shanghai, where she just missed out on the top 18 semi-finals by one place.

She has since under-performed in two major competitions – the London Olympics last year and the just-concluded World University Games (Universiade) in Kazan – and it has not gone down well with the coaches.

She was placed 22nd at the Olympics and managed a poor 269 en route to finishing 11th out of the 12 finalists in her pet event in Kazan.

Russia’s Yulia Koltunova won the gold with 347.25 points followed by China’s rising stars – Xia Yuhua (335.75) and Chen Ni (312.45).

Coach Huang Qiang fears that Traisy may have seen her best days in the national elite team.

“Traisy did well at the Indonesia SEA Games two years ago but has not progressed since. She is taking things too easy in training and we do not know why she has lost it.

“We hope she will do well in Barcelona or she may never get another chance,” said Huang Qiang.