Tough luck: Cheong Jun Hoong went for surgery on her right knee after pulling out of the Asian Games in Jakarta last August and has been undergoing rehabilitation.
PETALING JAYA: Hopes of seeing a repeat of another gold medal triumph in the Diving World Series will not materialise as world champion Cheong Jun Hoong has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Jun Hoong partnered Pandelela Rinong to clinch a historic gold in the women’s 10m platform synchro in the third leg of the series in Montreal, Canada, last year.
Jun Hoong went for surgery on her right knee after pulling out of the Asian Games in Jakarta last August and has been undergoing rehabilitation.
Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia secretary Mae Chen said Jun Hoong is coping well but her comeback will be on hold due to a new injury.
“Jun Hoong now has a problem with her right wrist because of the pressure exerted when she was on crutches after the knee operation,” said Mae.
“We’re leaving it to the National Sports Institute to determine the best time for her comeback. “We just want to be very careful and make sure she is fully recovered.
“She will not be competing in the Diving World Series. We can only pray and hope she will be able to compete in the World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, by July.
“If she’s back to the pool training in the next few weeks, we hope to send her to one of the Grand Prix meets in Europe before the world meet.
“We need to see her condition as she has not competed in any competition for almost a year,” added Mae.
In her absence, Nur Dhabitah Sabri partnered Pandelela to finish fourth in the 10m platform synchro in the first two legs in Sagamihara (Japan) and Beijing earlier this month.
The remaining legs are in Montreal, Canada (April 26-28), Kazan, Russia (May 10-12) and London, Britain (May 17-19).
The series is only for the top eight ranked divers in the world.
Did you find this article insightful?
