Pandelela Sasar Pingat Komanwel Pula

SEPANG -- Dua pingat perak Sukan Olimpik Remaja Pertama di Singapura baru-baru ini, melonjakkan keyakinan puteri terjun negara, Pandelela Rinong untuk menyasarkan sebutir pingat tanpa mengira warna Sukan Komanwel Delhi, Oktober ini pula.

Malah, penuntut tingkatan lima Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil ini menyedari sebarang pencapaian cemerlang di ibu kota India itu akan mematangkan persembahannya apabila ke Sukan Asia Guangzhou, November depan.

"Saya sasarkan tiga tempat teratas Sukan Komanwel dan mungkin pengalaman di situ mampu disandarkan untuk turut menyaingi penerjun China, yang menjadi pilihan utama pingat dan lebih kuat," katanya sekembalinya di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA), Sepang, semalam.

Turut membanggakan ialah semangat juangnya dalam menyumbangkan hadiah awal Hari Kemerdekaan negara ke-53 dengan dua perak acara 10 meter platform dan 3m papan anjal Olimpik Remaja di sebalik keperitan kecederaan belakang leher.

"Masih ada rasa sakit leher ketika bertanding, tetapi saya menganggap dua perak ini layak ditujukan buat keluarga, rakan sekolah dan seluruh rakyat Malaysia sempena Hari Kemerdekaan (Selasa ini)," kata anak jati Kuching, Sarawak berusia 17 tahun ini.

Bagaimanapun, Pandelela terpaksa melangkaui sesi awal peperiksaan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) kerana memikul tugasan negara di Guangzhou dan hanya mampu mendudukinya selepas menghabiskan acara pilihannya.

"SPM akan bertembung dengan Sukan Asia, tetapi saya mendapat kebenaran mengambil peperiksaan Agrotat (yang setaraf SPM) bagi mata pelajaran yang dijadualkan awal," katanya yang mendapat bimbingan Yang Zhuliang dan Huang Qiang dari China.

Ketua Kontinjen negara, Lim Keng Liat berkata, keseluruhannya atlet remaja negara menunjukkan prestasi yang tidak kurang hebat, walaupun cuma pulang dengan dua pingat.
"Dalam acara lompat tinggi, S. Navinraj mara ke pusingan akhir, Amirul Shafiq Jais (pelayaran) meraih tempat ketujuh manakala Sonya Chiah dan Low Wei Sheng ke suku dan separuh akhir badminton,'' katanya.

Pandelela Rinong (kiri) menunjukkan pingat perak yang dimenanginya pada Sukan Olimpik Remaja di Singapura, ketika tiba di KLIA, Sepang, semalam. - UTUSAN/ASWAD YAHYA

Diver Pandelela's Two Silver Medals Only Bright Sparks In YOG

Pandelela Rangkul Pingat Perak Kedua Di Singapura

Borneo Post
August 25, 2010, Wednesday

PANDELELA RINONG

SINGAPURA: Penerjun negara, Pandelela Rinong, 17, yang memenangi pingat perak pertama Malaysia dalam acara 10 meter platform wanita Sabtu lalu menambah satu lagi pingat di Sukan Olimpik Belia (YOG) di sini kelmarin.

Penerjun yang berasal dari Sarawak dan berketurunan Bidayuh itu berjaya merangkul pingat perak kedua selepas mendapat mata keseluruhan 444.15 dalam acara akhir terjun papan anjal 3 meter wanita di Kompleks Renang Toa Payoh.

Pandelela, atlet Malaysia pertama layak dalam dua disiplin ke kejohanan itu ketinggalan 67.20 mata di belakang pemenang pingat emas, penerjun China Liu Jiao yang mengumpul 511.35 mata.

Pandelela dan Liu Jiao menunjukkan prestasi konsisten sejak pusingan awal lagi.
Namun penerjun Kanada Pamela Ware yang menduduki tempat ketiga dalam pusingan awal acara itu gagal mengekalkan prestasinya di final. — Bernama

Gold-Medal Prospect Pandelela Forced To Skip World Junior Meet

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: Diver Pandelela Rinong’s credentials make her a strong prospect for gold at the world junior championships in Tucson, Arizona, from Sept 1-6.

But she will have to give up her last chance to win a world junior medal as the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) want her to concentrate on the New Delhi Commonwealth Games (Oct 3-14) and Guangzhou Asian Games (Nov 12-27).

Pandelela is set to return home from the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore as the most outstanding Malaysian athlete with two silver medals from the 3m springboard and 10m platform individual events.

Although the 17-year-old will be in a good position to end a four-year medal drought for Malaysia at the World Juniors in the United States, Asum secretary Edwin Chong felt it will be a more prudent decision for Pandelela to prepare well for the two back-to-back major Games where she is also a medal prospect in both the individual and synchronised events.

Our pride and joy: Malaysian fans greet silver medallist Pandelela Rinong (inset) after the medal ceremony of the 3m springboard diving final at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games on Monday. — Reuters

Pandelela will no longer be eligible to compete in the next edition of the World Juniors, which are held biennially with competitions in two age-groups (14-15 and 16-18).

“We have decided that divers who are eligible but have been named in the squad for the Commonwealth Games and Asiad will not participate in the world junior championships. We will be represented by the back-up divers this time,” said Edwin.

“Pandelela has a very good chance to deliver a medal and possibly even the gold. But it will be too taxing on her to compete as she has to prepare well for the two Games.

“She also has to tread with caution in her preparation as she has just come out of a neck injury suffered before she went to Singapore for the Youth Olympics.’

Edwin added that Pandelela and her partner, Leong Mun Yee, stood a good chance to fight for the 10m platform synchronised gold medal at the New Delhi Games.

“In winning the bronze medal at the world championships in Rome last year, they finished ahead of the other pairs from the Commonwealth countries and only lost to the United States and China,” he said.

“If they perform well on that day, they have a chance of winning the event in New Delhi. The training in China is crucial in getting them to polish up their dive routines.”

Pandelela will leave Singapore for China with coach Huang Qiang after the Youth Olympics on Thursday to join the rest of the national team divers before going to New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.

Second Silver From Pandelela

by Jeremy Veno August 24, 2010, Tuesday

Sarawak’s diving sensation creates another Olympic milestone with an additional silver .

KUCHING: Pandelela Rinong creates another Olympics milestone when she won an additional silver medal in the Youth Olympics 2010 in Singapore last night.

PRIDE OF SARAWAK: Pandelela with her silver medal from the 3metre diving event. Sarawak’s diving sensation battle her way to second place in the girl’s 3metre event with a total score of 444.15 after four dives. — Reuters photo

Sarawak’s diving sensation battle her way to second place in the girl’s 3-metre event with a total score of 444.15 after four dives.

There were twelve finalists for the event with China’s Liu Jiao as the victor with 511.35 points while Potyekhina Victoriya of Ukraine in third place after garnering 433.55 points.

The Bidayuh lass created history as the first Malaysian female athlete to haul medals from an Olympics event when she won her first silver on Sunday at the 10-metre platform dive.
“We are very proud of her achievement,” said the director of the Sarawak State Sports Council Francis Nyurang Ding who applauded the diver and for her talent.

“Even though being a national athlete, deep in our hearts she is still our own state athlete,” said Francis who recalled the days when Pandelela was discovered in Kuching and was put through the sport council’s development programme which was the base work for her success today.
Francis was however in jest when he mentioned that the 17-year-old Bidayuh lass is regrettably not qualified to be on the state contingent for the Sukma games.

“Nevertheless, she has reached the highest level of being an Olympian and a medal winner. So an incentive from MSNS is definite,” said Francis who will be bringing up the topic to the board in the next meeting.

Regardless of the amount to be given, the incentive according to Francis is a reflects the sports council’s gratitude and recognition to Pandelela who is living up to the ‘Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban’ spirit.

“I do not see anything wrong for us (MSNS) to give her some incentive, even though she is a national athlete and an Olympian,” he added of Pandelela who is currently a student at the National Sports School in Bukit Jalil. On her strive to continue her trainings despite a few divers having fallout due to the strenuous and rigid training methods under their Chinese coach, Francis applauded Pandelala saying that her patience and perseverance have put her above others.

On Sunday at the Tao Payoh swimming complex, Singapore, Pandelela collected a total of 453.35 points, 25.25 points behind China’s Liu Jaio who took the gold medal. Pandelela who is nursing a sprained neck was quoted as saying in a national daily that her last two dives was kept simple to be on the safe side of not aggravating her injury.

Liu Jaio who is the Asian Youth Games gold medallist however impressed the judges when she executed a more difficult style to near perfection which gave her the gold.

The bronze medal was however won by Korea’s Sin Ji Hyang with a total of 430.20 points.
Pandelela who flew to Singapore for the Youth Olympics games till Aug 26, will make a return to Kunming, China to undergo her intensive trainings for the Commonwealth games in New Delhi in October.

Hii And Five Others Not Sure of Spots In Youth Olympics

PETALING JAYA: Sarawakian Hii Siew Siew, who was named the outstanding female swimmer in the national schools (MSSM) championships in Shah Alam last week, will have to wait along with five others to find out whether they will be on the plane to Singapore for the Youth Olympics.

Siew Siew, who hails from Sibu, beat the qualifying standards for the 100m and 200m butterfly events in the inaugural Games, which will be held from Aug 14-26, for swimmers between the ages of 16 and17-years-old.

Siew Siew smashed eight-year-old MSSM records in the 100m and 200m butterfly held by Cindy Ong in her first outing in the 16-18 age-group to show that she is on track to deliver a double for Sarawak in Sukma (Malaysia Games) in Malacca in June.

The other female swimmers who have surpassed the qualifying marks are Sabah’s Lai Wei Li (200m and 400m freestyle), Perak’s Cheng Karmen (200m individual medley and 200m backstroke) and Johor’s Low Xue Ting (100m freestyle).

Wei Li, who bagged nine gold medals in the MSSM last week, is incidentally coached by former international Lim Keng Liat, who is the chef-de-mission of the Malaysian contingent for the Youth Olympics.

Malaysia have two male swimmers who have beaten the qualifying marks – Penangite James Chen (100m freestyle) and Perakian Kevin Yeap (200m and 400m freestyle).

The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) secretary, Edwin Chong, said that those who had beaten the qualifying times were still not assured of getting to compete in the Games.
“There is a cap of 400 competitors for swimming and those who have beaten the qualifying times will be listed based on their rankings,” he said.

“The qualifying period ends on March 31 and the last championships for our swimmers to beat the marks were the national age-group in Bukit Jalil two weeks ago.

“We have to wait for FINA to come up with the list of swimmers who will get to compete in the Games. But we can be assured of having at least one male and one female swimmer.”
Sarawak also have one of their own in aquatics with Pandelela Rinong down for the diving competitions in the 10m platform and 3m springboard events.

Pandelela made the Games in style by taking gold in the 10m platform and silver in the 3m springboard in the qualifiers in Guadalajara, Mexico, recently.
The male representative for diving is Penangite Ooi Tze Liang, who also made the cut for both individual events.