Diving: Pandelela takes gold in Diving World Cup

PETALING JAYA: Pandelela Rinong became the first Malaysian diver to win gold at the Diving World Cup after a consistent performance in the women's 10m platform individual final in Tokyo.

The Sarawak-born diver, who is heading to her fourth Olympics campaign in July, claimed the gold medal after finishing with 355.70 points at the end of the five-dive competition.

Pandelela never relinquished her lead after the second dive and had a 16-point lead going into the fifth and final dive.

The 28-year-old diver is the first Malaysian to make it to the top of the World Cup podium and it is her second individual career medal and third overall.

Pandelela took bronze in the same event at the last edition in Wuhan in 2018.

She earned her first medal – a silver – partnering Cheong Jun Hoong in the women's 10m platform synchro in the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.

Japan's Matsuri Arai took silver with 342.00 points while Caeli McKay came back with a strong final dive to snatch bronze in 338.55 points.

Pandelela's medal is the only one Malaysia won in the meet, the final Olympic qualifying event for diving.

Pandelela qualified for the top-12 final in third place (333.00) behind McKay (343.85) and Britain's Andrea Spendolini Sirieix (336.30) earlier.

Cheong Jun Hoong, surprisingly, failed to make the final cut after finishing a disappointing last in the semi-final field of 18 competitors with 237.35 points.

Jun Hoong had joined Pandelela to make the cut for Tokyo Olympics in the event when she led after the preliminary round on Tuesday (May 4).