Pandelela-Mun Yee looking strong to bag another medal

Well done: Pandelela Rinong (left) and Leong Mun Yee posing with the women

PETALING JAYA: National divers Pandelela Rinong and Leong Mun Yee have certainly not lost their touch.

The duo, who reunited for the first time since 2016, have put themselves in strong contention for a third medal at the World Championships after qualifying as the third best yesterday for the women’s 10m platform synchro final in Gwangju, South Korea.

Pandelela-Mun Yee, the bronze medallists in Rome 2011 and Barcelona 2013, amassed 297.18 points from five attempts to come in third behind China’s Lu Wei-Zhang Jiaqi (317.82) and Canadians Meaghan Benfeito-Caeli McKay (297.18).

Only the top 12 battle it out in the all-important final which offers three qualification berths to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

The top three finish in the qualifying round by Pandelela-Mun Yee was certainly commendable considering Pandelela had just returned from a back injury.

Mun Yee, on the other hand, proved that she’s ever-reliable and can be counted on in the midst of team injury crisis.

Youngster Kimberly Bong, who was supposed to partner Pandelela in the absence of former world champion Cheong Jun Hoong, picked up a shoulder injury while training in China.

Pandelela and Mun Yee were the nation’s first choice pair since 2009 before Jun Hoong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri emerged as the more preferred options in 2014.

Pandelela and Mun Yee did well the last time they were paired together, winning bronze at the Kazan’s Diving World Series leg in April 2016.

Meanwhile, Chew Yiwei-Ooi Tze Liang were a letdown in the men’s 3m springboard synchro final when they finished last in the 12-member field with 357.30 points.

Cao Yuan-Xie Siyi of China were in a class of their own as they claimed the gold with 439.74. Daniel Goodfellow-Jack Laugher of England (415.02) and Mexico’s Yahel Castillo Huerta-Juan Manuel Celaya Hernandez (413.94) came in second and third respectively.