Last chance for Jun Hoong to qualify for Rio Olympics

Malaysia's diver Cheong Jun Hoong posed with her bronze medal after finished with total of 327.10 points during the women's 3m springboard final at the Munhak Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Centre on Friday. IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star. October 3, 2014.

PETALING JAYA: Diver Cheong Jun Hoong can’t imagine herself not being at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.

The 25-year-old has one chance left to get her act right if she wants to compete in her second Games. That will be at the FINA Diving World Cup in Rio – the final Olympic qualifying event - from Feb 19-24.

“It’s a do-or-die mission for me now,” said Jun Hoong, who partnered Mun Yee to win a historic silver at the 2014 World Cup in Shanghai.

“My priority is to qualify for the springboard individual. If I’m fielded in the synchro, I would like to help Malaysia secure an Olympic berth too.

Jun Hoong, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics, is expected to take part in the 3m springboard individual and 10m platform synchro, possibly with veteran Leong Mun Yee.

Jun Hoong could have made it to Rio if she had not missed the World Championships, an Olympic qualifying event, in Russia last July. She was forced to pull out after suffering a heel injury.

“The Olympics is held every four years, so you wouldn’t want to miss the world’s biggest sporting event,”  added Hun Hong.

At the World Cup, there will be 18 spots up for grabs for the individual events and four berths in the synchro disciplines.

To date, Malaysia have secured five individual spots through Ooi Tze Liang (men’s 3m springboard and 10m platform), Wendy Ng Yan Yee (women’s 3m springboard), Nur Dhabitah Sabri (women’s 10m platfom) and Pandelela Rinong (women’s 10m platform).

At the London Olympics, Malaysian divers qualified for seven out of the eight events.