SEA GAMES REVIEW: Big Splash In The Water

CLASS ABOVE: But Asum needs to do more

The synchronised swimmers were unstoppable as they dazzled the fans with their near perfect performances.

THE divers and synchronised swimmers were in their element while Heidi Gan made a sweep of the women's open water events but the national swimming squad failed to make progress in Palembang.

Malaysia's divers were a class above as Yeoh Ken Nee celebrated his 15th title in his last Sea Games as they won seven out of the eight gold medals on offer.

It could have been eight but coach Yang Zhuliang withdrew his pair from the men's 10m platform synchro event for other nations to fight for one gold.

In synchronised swimming, Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi and Shareen Png emerged as the two most successful Malaysian athletes in the Games as they led their teammates to all five events titles.

The swimmers were unstoppable as they dazzled the fans and impressed the judges with their near perfect performance, which denied Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, the limelight.

It was initially feared the event would be tainted by bias judging but the officials were fair and thus the best team won on merit.

Heidi, who represented Malaysia in three previous Sea Games with one gold medal to her credit in the 4x100m medley in Laos, only took up open water swimming 18 months ago but it did not stop her from winning the 5km and 10km races.

The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) was not expecting a big splash in the absence of Daniel Bego, the five-gold medal hero in Laos, from the pool.

Asum targeted four gold but the swimmers exceeded it through the efforts of Siow Yi Ting, Christina Loh, Kevin Yeap, and Khoo Cai Lin.

The over-dependence on Daniel denied Malaysia a repeat of their nine-gold haul in Laos and this shows the national team lack depth and quality.

The association had two years after the success in Laos to develop its swimmers but those who were exposed, either failed to clock faster times or quit the sport.

Except for Christina and Kevin, the other youngsters have so far failed to make an impact.

Credit to Asum for its effort in diving and synchronised swimming but it needs to do more for swimming.

Christina made a breakthrough by winning the region's 50m breaststroke gold medal while Kevin made amends by pacing himself well to lift the men's 400 freestyle event.

Yi Ting returned from a two-year break to successfully defend her 100m and 200m breaststroke titles as Malaysia swept all three gold medals at stake for the first time.

As for Cai Lin, she led from start to finish to earn a well deserved win in the women's 800m freestyle.

Chan Kah Yan was the only Malaysian swimmer to break a national record and did so in the women's 50m backstroke en route to earning silver. A far cry from Laos, where Malaysia broke eight Sea Games records.

But to be fair, the national swimmers were not at their best as some were down with food poisoning upon arrival in Palembang.

Christina won the 50m breaststroke on the day she suffered from diarrhoea while Foo Jian Beng and Ian James Barr also suffered the same problem.

Asum, however, needs to invest more like its Singapore counterparts in the sport to ensure quality in the national team.

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Pandelela Pulls Out From 3M Springboard Event

NEW DELHI Oct 13 — Pandelela Rinong who clinched a gold medal in the Delhi Commonwealth Games Women”s 10m Platform at the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Complex on Monday, pulled out from the 3m Springboard event today.

Press attache to the Malaysian contingent, Mohd Rizal Mohd Radzi said the decision to pull Pandelela out of the event was made following her coach”s advice.

"Her coach Yang Zhuliang made the decision firstly because there is no medal potential for her in the event and secondly because she was not even listed to participate in it in the first place,” he told Bernama.

Another reason given was that the 17-year-old girl from Sarawak, who won silver medals in the women”s 10m platform and 3m springboard at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics last month, has the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China next month to compete.

"So basically, he is saving her for the Asian Games and does not want her to suffer from any injury,” said Mohd Rizal.

Pandelela, sprained her neck a week before leaving for Singapore and competed though she was not completely fit.

Apart from the gold medal, Pandelela Rinong also won the silver along with her partner, Leong Mun Yee, in the Women”s 10m Synchro Platform.

Pandelela qualified for the final with 255.20 points before pulling out.

The task of getting a medal was then left to Ng Yan Yee to shoulder.

However, Yan Yee failed to match the Australian and Canadian divers who were supreme in the event.

She only managed to finish in eighth spot after accumulating 290.15 points.
Sharleen Stratton of Australia won the gold with 376.00 points, Jennifer Abel of Canada the silver (338.55 points) and another Aussie, Jaele Patrick the bronze (326.15 points). — BERNAMA

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.

Commonwealth Games / Diving: Ken Nee-Bryan Emerge From The Shadows

Bryan Nickson Lomas (left) and Yeoh Ken Nee show off their bronze after the men’s 3m synchro springboard final yesterday.

AFTER having played second fiddle to the women for two consecutive days, it was the turn of the men to deliver a medal as divers Yeoh Ken Nee and Bryan Nickson Lomas took the men's 3m synchro springboard bronze at the Dr SPM Aquatic Complex yesterday.

Bronze was won courtesy of a "gift" from Australia's Scott Robertson-Grant Nel who messed up their fourth dive and allowed the Malaysians to leapfrog them in the race for the medals.Ken Nee-Bryan scored 404.64 points, way off the 430.64 notched by gold medallists Alexandre Despatie-Reuben Ross of Canada. Silver went to Matthew Mitcham-Warren Ethan of Australia with 424.35.

"We were very lucky as the Australians are normally very solid," said Ken Nee, a silver medallist in Melbourne four years ago.

"The moment Robertson's foot hit the springboard, we knew we had a chance but our coach urged us to stay calm and consider the final dive as a training dive. That is exactly what we did and managed to hang on to third place."Ken Nee admitted that while he had targeted a medal, he wasn't overly hopeful, given the opposition.

"The two Australian pairs are very good and so too the Canadians. They are much better than us in this event but we got lucky today (yesterday)."Malaysia's other pair, Muhammad Fakhrul Md Zain-Ahmad Amsyar Azman finished sixth with 388.47 points.In the men's 10m synchro platform, Ooi Tze Liang and Abdul Rashid Muhammad finished bottom in the four-pairs event with 372.30.

Leong Mun Yee, a silver medallist with Pandelela Rinong in the 10m synchro platform on Sunday, could only finish seventh in the women's 1m springboard with 262.10. Cheong Jun Hoong was 10th with 235.80.

Youngster Pandelela Shines Among World-Class Divers

YOUNG Pandelela Rinong made her entry into the national senior squad only three years ago but she has now emerged as the brightest gem in Malaysian diving.

The impish-looking Pandelela put up a magnificent show in the women’s 10m platform final on Monday to push world-class Australian divers Melissa Wu and Alexandra Croak into second and third placings respectively.

It looked as though Pandelela would again play the bridesmaid role a two silver medal-winning effort at the the Youth Olympics in Singapore in August. But she made sure the Negaraku would be heard for the first time at a Commonwealth Games aquatics competition venue after notching a final attempt of 81.60, which was the highest score of the day.

Magnificent: Gold medallist Pandelela Rinong in action during the 10m platform event in New Delhi on Monday.

Pandelela, who also took silver with Leong Mun Yee in the synchronised event the previous day, was the attention of the foreign media, who wanted to get her comments and her background after the medals ceremony.

The 17-year-old Sarawakian obliged and when asked on her future plans, Pandelela said that she hoped to continue to be good in what she was doing.

“I still have to improve further if I want to challenge consistently against the top divers. It’s a lot of hard work and I even missed quite a lot of school time whenever big competitions came up,” she said.

In fact, Pandelela will not be getting any break after the Delhi Games. She will have to return to China for training immediately to get ready for the Guangzhou Asian Games next month.
On whom she would dedicate her medals, Pandelela was quick to give the credit to not only her parents but also her coaches, including Yang Zhuliang.

“My parents encouraged me to accept the offer to come to Kuala Lumpur to join the national training programme after I was talent-spotted at the state level,” she said.

“I also want to thank my coaches for their support. They are under a lot of pressure too whenever they see me dive ... they help me by always asking me not to give up.”

And what does she intend to do with the RM100,000 reward that she has now earned from the government for the two medals?

“I will spend it on buying presents for Christmas. I miss my family but I will be seeing them after I come back from the Asian Games,” said Pandelela, who hails from Bau, a small town near Kuching.

There is still the 3m springboard competition today for Pandelela but she is not pinning strong hopes on getting another medal.

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

Pandelela Gemilang

WIRA NEGARA...gelagat Pandelela bersama pingat emas dimenangi, semalam.


TAHUN 2010 merupakan tahun gemilang buat Pandelela Riong. Selepas memenangi dua pingat perak di Sukan Olimpik Remaja di Singapura dan pingat perak 10 meter platform berpasukan bersama Leong Mun Yee, kelmarin, anak gadis berasal dari Sarawak ini mencipta sejarah memenangi pingat emas pertama dalam acara terjun buat negara, semalam.


Pandelela mencatatkan 371.05 mata untuk memenangi pingat emas, mengatasi Melissa yang mengumpul 369.5 mata dengan hanya 1.55 mata. Seorang lagi peserta Australia, Alexandra Croak memenangi pingat gangsa dengan 355.4 mata.

Apapun, Pandelela menafikan logik akal di Kompleks Akuatik Dr SPM apabila menggunakan terjunan terakhirnya untuk memintas pendahulu sejak awal, Melissa Wu dari Australia selepas pada satu ketika berada di tempat kelima.Kesilapan terjunan kedua yang mencatatkan hanya 58.05 mata bagaimanapun nyaris melenyapkan misi memburu pingat selepas mengungguli pusingan kelayakan di sebelah pagi.

“Saya tak pasti apa yang berlaku tapi tetap yakin mampu bersaing merebut pingat. Bagaimanapun, saya tak sangka berjaya pula merangkul pingat emas,” katanya.Jurulatih, Yang Zhuliang berkata, Pandelela tidak tenang menyebabkan pelaksanaan terjunan agak kekok.

“Biasanya, dia mencatatkan purata 9.5 mata untuk terjunan itu. Namun, saya nasihatkannya supaya tidak menyerah kalah dan terus berusaha kerana sejak awal kami yakin dia berpeluang menang pingat emas,” katanya.Selepas itu Pandelela mempamerkan kematangan untuk merapatkan kedudukan dengan Melissa yang pada satu ketika mendahului 15 mata di depan penerjun negara itu.


Menjelang terjunan terakhir, Melissa hanya mendahului 0.05 mata di depan Pandelela.Tekanan nyata tidak mengganggu tumpuan Pandelela dan berjaya mencatat 81.6 mata berbanding Melissa yang mencatatkan 80 mata.

“Saya agak gementar sebelum terjunan terakhir tapi memilih menurut nasihat jurulatih untuk menumpukan perhatian pada terjunan peribadi dan mengetepikan pencapaian lawan.“Sebaik sahaja mencecah ke air, segala keraguan lenyap dan saya percaya pingat emas milik saya dan ia disahkan markah yang diberikan juri.Pingat emas ini saya dedikasi kepada ibu, ayah dan keluarga yang sentiasa memberi galakan dan sokongan serta jurulatih yang tidak pernah putus memberi nasihat,” katanya lagi.Seorang lagi peserta negara, Traisy Vivien Tukiet, 16, menamatkan saingan di tempat kesembilan dengan 310.65 mata.

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.

Gold Trail Grinds To A Halt For Malaysians

SILVER DIVERS: Pandelela (above) and Mun Yee compete in the Final of Women's 10m Synchro Platform diving

NEW DELHI: Malaysia's gold trail came to a grinding halt on day seven when the Malaysian contingent added just two silver and one bronze on a lull yesterday which saw Australia continue their domination.

The day started with a silver medal from Nur Ayuni and a bronze from Nur Suryani Muhamad Taibi in the women's 10m Air Rifle individual competition.

In the evening, Leong Mun Yee and Pandelela Rinong plucked a silver from the diving pool when the duo put up a splendid performance in the 10m platform synchronised diving.

It was also a day of near misses for Malaysians as they allowed a number of medals to slip through their grasp, especially when redhot favourite Nur Suryani Taibi could only manage a bronze while her partner Nur Ayuni missed the gold by two points to a Singaporean shooter.
Likewise, the much-expected archers failed to reap any medal — the men and women individual recurve archers failing in the process.

Archer S. Anbarasi missed a medal in the women's individual recurve event in the morning, so did Hasli Izwan in the 25m centrefire pistol individual event.

All in all, Malaysians lost a chance to bite into the slice of 42 gold medals offered yesterday.
"It was a lull. But overall it was an okay day, we managed to win some medals though we expected more from other sports. We hope the next few days will bring in more medals," Malaysian chef-de-mission Tan Sri Abdul Halil Abd Mutalif said.

Today, Malaysian athletes would take part in at least eight finals in their respective sports — mainly in diving, shooting and lawn bowls — where another 15 gold medals are up for grabs.
But while sporting action continued in the field and stadiums, controversies hogged the limelight outside the arenas.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell acknowledged that the Delhi games was progressing swiftly, without a single event being cancelled or postponed, but other pressing issues still disturbed the organisers.

Complaints of sports fans failing to buy tickets but syndicates in Delhi selling tickets on the black market had surfaced, prompting organisers to take stern action.

"We don't condone such acts, we have lodged a report with the police and monitoring the situation," warned Delhi Games Organising Chairman Suresh Kalmadi.

Commonwealth Games / Swimming: Swimmers Return With Loads Of Experience

ONE final appearance, five national records and a qualifier for the World Championships is how the Commonwealth Games statistics read for the national swimming squad.

There were no medals but for national coach Paul Birmingham, New Delhi can be deemed a success considering the difficulties the squad faced throughout the competition. "I admit that I expected faster times from certain swimmers but I have to say that this was easily the toughest competition many of them have experienced," said Birmingham yesterday.

He was not only talking about the world class opposition that Australia, England and South Africa offered but also the challenge the swimmers faced with the schedule and health.

"It was 16-hour days throughout the competition as we had to get up at 5am and travel two hours to the venue and we had to repeat this in the evenings and this took a toll on the swimmers. "There were also health issues as some had the flu while others went down with food poisoning. This was experienced by almost all the swimming teams and I can confidently say that for the others, this was also a tough meet."

But there was a silver lining and Birmingham said the five national records were satisfying considering the challenge the swimmers faced. "Chui Lai Kwan also qualified for the World Championships and that was a job well done." Lai Kwan also improved the national 50m freestyle record to 26.03s and was the only Malaysian to make an individual final.

The others who set new national marks were Christina Loh in the women's 50m breaststroke (33.39), Chan Kah Yan (50m backstroke -- 30.19), Yap See Tuan (men's 50m breaststroke -- 29.78) and Ian James Barr (200m IM -- 2:07.22). One swimmer who didn't enjoy the New Delhi experience was Daniel Bego and Birmingham said this was expected considering that he only had 12 weeks of training coming into the Games. "Many have questioned why Daniel took six months off (to concentrate on his studies) but this is a break he needed. We have to remember that he has been training non-stop for years and he simply needed a break.

"We want him for the London Olympics in 2012 and he will need six months of hardwork to get back his form." Hardwork is also something Birmingham expects from those who didn't do as well as expected. "The swimmers (who didn't perform) have been told and it is now up to them to start working, especially if they are serious about their careers." It will basically be the same squad for the Asian Games and Birmingham admitted that medals will be out of reach. "Japan and China are going to dominate the top four positions in most of the events and what I can hope for from my swimmers are new national records."

Commonwealth Games / Diving: Duo Shine With Silver

Pandelela Rinong (left) and Leong Mun Yee in action in the 10m synchro platform .yesterday.

LEONG Mun Yee ended a 12-year wait spanning four Commonwealth Games after she and partner Pandelela Rinong saved their best for last to clinch the 10m synchro platform silver at the Dr SPM Aquatic Complex yesterday.

It was Malaysia's first Commonwealth Games diving medal in the women's category and both divers were filled with joy, especially as they were lying fourth after three dives and in danger of being upstaged by younger teammates Cheong Jun Hoong and Traisy Vivien Tukiet, who were second.But the third dive, which Mun Yee said is their secret weapon, took them to second place behind Australia's Olympic silver medallists Melissa Wu and Alexandra Croak while Jun Hoong-Traisy finished fifth.

"We were confident that we would be able to place ourselves in the medal places as we have been working on this dive in training," said Mun Yee.

The three and a half somersault pike was so well executed that the Malaysians scored 82.56, the only dive of the evening that breached the 80-point mark.The Malaysians scored a total 328.38 points for the silver to the Australians 335.76. Australia also took the bronze through Briony Cole and Anabelle Smith.

Pandelela said errors in the earlier dives probably cost them the gold."The scoring by the judges was also a little questionable as well as the Australians seemed to get some high marks despite not doing too well in the earlier dives," said Pandelela.Still, it has been a good year for Pandelela, who won two silver at the Youth Olympics in Singapore and has now added the Commonwealth medal.

She has the 10m platform today while Mun Yee will be competing in the 1m and 3m individual springboard events.Mun Yee, partnering youngster Ng Yan Yee, didn't fare well in the 3m synchronised springboard as they finished last in the six-pair event.Gold medallists in last year's Laos Sea Games, the Malaysians could only score 260.04 points.Yeoh Ken Nee also had to bow to the emergence of younger divers as he relinquished the men's 1m springboard silver he won in Melbourne four years ago. Ken Nee finished fourth with 400.10 points.Bryan Nickson Lomas was seventh, scoring 370.80 points while Muhammad Fakhrul Md Zain finished 11th with 260.04.

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.

No Medal Rush For Malaysia

ANOTHER DOWNER: Katrina Ann had another bad day yesterday

NEW DELHI: Malaysia's poor showing yesterday pushed their medal standings to seventh spot on the fourth day of the 2010 Commonwealth Games as Australia and India continued their medal haul.

Malaysian athletes took part in 13 finals but only managed a silver medal in shooting — courtesy of Hazli Izwan Amir and Hafiz Adzhar in the 25m rapid fire pistol event.
While it was less productive day for Malaysia, there is a ray of hope today as more athletes would be chasing for medals.

At least 10 Malaysians would be taking part in the finals of their respective disciplines.
Our medal hopes lie in archery, badminton (team event), cycling, shooting, tables tennis, weightlifting and squash where Nicol David would be after her first CWG medal.
Unstoppable Nicol is closer to winning the elusive gold medal after she defeated Australia's Kasey Brown 3-0 in the semifinals yesterday.

"I had been giving her too much to work with," said the five time world champion.
"Once I started firing my drives in and making sure she had to work for the points, it was different."

In the men's singles squash semifinals, Ivan Yeun defeated Scotland's Harry Leitch 15-13, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5 making sure of a medal today.

"I feel great. I t's my f irst Commonwealth Games and I had a great experience," he said after the victory.
Meanwhile in the badminton mix team event, Malaysia defeated Singapore in the semifinals 3-1 and would take on India in the finals today.
Athletes would be chasing after 42 gold medals at stake today. Outside the stadiums, the Games is filled with woes and controversies — from choking toilets in the athletes' rooms due to used condoms, malfunctioning CWG website that irked journalists, half empty stadiums and annoying tight security.

Luck was not on Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi's side when she failed to grab a medal due to a small difference in points in the solo event of the Free Routine Synchronised Swimming.
The Malaysian swimmer was placed fifth place collecting 1.333 points behind Australian swimmer Tarren Otte (79.167) who was fourth place while Lauren Smith of Scotland won the bronze (80.333).

Gold Medal Tally Remains At Three

NEW DELHI: Despite adding another gold medal through cycling yesterday, Malaysia's gold medal tally remained at three after three days of action in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

KATRINA ANN: Had a disappointing performance

After a continuous flow of gold medals from the weightlifting arena, there was only a bronze to show yesterday. Out of the 27 gold medals contested today, Malaysia won only one.

The gold medal however, came in controversial fashion as Josiah Ng won the solitary gold medal for Malaysia in the keirin cycling event after Mohd Azizulhasni Awang was disqualified, thus depriving a onetwo finish and a silver.

Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi's performance in the pool was also a disappointing one as she lost out on a medal to her Scottish competitor Lauren Smith and so were Lee Zhien Huey and Png Hui Chuen, as the pair finished fourth in synchronized duet finals.

Malaysia's hopes in boxing also started on a bad note when Muhammad Hafiz Azan Naya was knocked out in the 60kg class qualification bout.

There was some consolation as Muhammad Farkhan made it up to the next round when he defeated Kokole Paneng of Lesotho 8-1 in the men's welterweight (69kg) bout.

A concerned Malaysian chef-demission said Malaysian athletes need to be more "focused and fight hard during competitions".

Malaysia with three gold medals are currently fourth in the table and well off Australia who are leading the table with 22-gold and secondplaced India with nine and England with five.

Hosts India, with home ground advantage and backed by aspiring athletes, continued their medal haul and comfortably placed themselves in second spot behind Australia and remained a force to be reckoned with.

Today, 35 gold medals would be contested and several Malaysians have the possibility of making it to the podium, especially in archery, cycling and squash.

After failing yesterday, Zhien Huey and Hui Chuen will also have another chance to reach the podium when they dive into the pool to compete in the synchronised duet-free routine finals.

Another setback was in the men's hockey when Malaysia lost to Pakistan 4-1 in pool A, Malaysia's second defeat in as many matches, as they had lost to India 2-3 in their opening match.

Nicol David is back to where she was when she experienced her greatest disaster — the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games — secretly determined to atone for what happened four years ago in Melbourne.

Then the world No 1 suffered a shock defeat and failed to win any kind of medal. Now, after yesterday's disciplined 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 win over Laura Massaro of England, she is just two wins away from the only Major title she has never won.

"I had been giving her too much to work with," said the five-time world champion. "Once I started firing my drives in and making sure she had to work for the points, it was different."

Nicol was asked what was different in her now from four years ago when she was sensationally beaten by the Australian Natalie Grinham.

"There's so much," she replied. "I have learned so much. I have definitely been finding myself, and adding a lot of things to my game.

"After the last Commonwealth Games there was such a turnaround in my approach to squash and my career. I took two steps back to find what I needed to do."

Meanwhile, organisers of the Games were still struggling to fill empty stadiums, after Indian fans failed to turn up in great numbers, which had irked Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell.

"We have raised the question on how to get people to come to the stadiums. Only the OC (organising committee) and Kalmadi can answer all these questions. We have put this on the agenda for further discussion," he said.

Commonwealth Games/Swimming: Malaysians Fail To Make It a Day To Remember

Lee Zhien Huey and Png Hui Chuen lie fourth in the duet.

FINALLY, there was Malaysian presence in a swimming final as the men's 4x200m freestyle lined up along the best of the Commonwealth Games at the SP Mukherjee Aquatic Complex yesterday.

Daniel Bego, Ian James Barr, Foo Jian Beng and Lee Leam Yoong finished sixth in a time of 7:43.53s but coach Paul Birmingham was satisfied as the swimmers met their target of making the final. Australia took the gold, Scotland the silver and South Africa the bronze.

The rest of the Malaysians didn't enjoy a great day at the pool as Foo Jian Beng clocked 51.95 in the men's 100m freestyle and failed to advance to the semi-finals.

Ian, who made the 50m backstroke semi-final on Monday, failed to make an impact in the 200m backstroke heats as he clocked 2:08.84.

It was a similar story for the women as Erika Kong clocked 2:39.03 in the 200m breaststroke while Christina Loh came home in 2:41.77 to end their campaigns in the heats.

In synchronised swimming, Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi is within reach of the bronze after posting 39.417 points to lie third after the qualification technical routine.

The Malaysian is just behind Scotland's Lauren Smith, who scored 39.917 yesterday. Canada's Marie-Pi Boudreau is the runaway leader with 47.667 while second is Jenna Randall of England with 44.583.

In the duet, Lee Zhien Huey and Png Hui Chuen are also fourth with 37.334 after the technical routine.

Canadians Marie-Pi and Chloe Isaac are in the lead with 47.500 while Olivia Allison and Jenna Randall of England are second with 44.250. Third are Australians Eloise Amberger-Sarah Bombell with 39.250.

Read more: Commonwealth Games / swimming: Malaysians fail to make it a day to remember http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/oocviuhjcb-2/Article/index_html#ixzz11qBbdwO6

Katrina Raises Hopes Of A First-Ever Medal

KATRINA Ann Hadi raised a glimmer of hope of a first-ever medal in synchronised swimming after a fine performance in the technical part of the individual event at Dr S.P. Mukherjee Sports Complex yesterday.

She is in fourth position after chalking 39.417 and Scotland’s Lauren Smith (39.919) appeared to be the one to beat for Katrina to take the bronze medal.

Jenna Randall of England is placed second on 44.583 while Marie Gagnon Bodreau, who chalked up 47.667, looks set to retain the gold medal for Canada.

It will be harder for Lee Zhien Huey-Shareen Png in the duet even though they are in fourth spot on 37.334. They have a lot of catching to do with Eloise Amberger-Sarah Bombell of Australia in front of them on 39.250.


Having a splash: Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi performing in the synchronised swimming individual event yesterday.

The medals for the individual and duet will be determined today after the swimmers conclude the free part of their events.

Foo Jian Beng failed in his bid to qualify for the semi-finals of the men’s 100m freestyle after posting 51.95 for 20th place.

Erika Kong and Christina Loh finished 12th and 13th with times of 2:39.03 and 2:41.77 respectively in the women’s 200m breaststroke.

Ian James Barr also failed to make the cut for the men’s 200m backstroke after posting the 13th fastest time of 2:08.84.

The fastest eight swimmers advanced to the final in the 200m distances for backstroke and breaststroke.

Aquatics And Karate Shine

Yeoh Ken Nee won the 3m springboard at the National Sports Complex aquatics centre yesterday.

AQUATIC COMPLEX DECLARED UNSAFE

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BJSS Aquasapiens before 2001