Still giving her best: Pandelela Rinong in action during the World Championships in Budapest last month. — Reuters
PETALING JAYA: The National Sports Council (NSC) need to be more serious in developing diving programmes at lower levels.
The country’s top diver Pandelela Rinong is convinced that if the NSC do not do anything drastic to arrest the depleting number of divers, Malaysia will be short of talents in the future.
“I hope that the NSC will look into diving development more seriously to groom more future talents,” said Pandelela, fresh from winning two World Championships bronze medals in the women’s 10m platform and 10m synchronised platform with Nur Dhabitah Sabri.
Pandelela’s grave concern is understandable.
Five diving events were scrapped from the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Klang Valley in September due to the poor participation of state contingents. An event can only be hosted in Sukma if there are at least six states participating.
Some of the diving events had only three state representatives. The events dropped from Sukma are all from the women’s category – 1m springboard, 3m springboard, 10m platform, 3m springboard synchro and 10m platform synchro.
Pandelela became the first Malaysian female athlete to win an Olympic Games medal in a sport besides badminton when she took the bronze at the London 2012 Games.
She then won a silver with Cheong Jun Hoong in the synchronised 10m platform at the 2016 Rio Games.
Malaysia did not win any medal at the last Olympics in Tokyo.
And the trend may continue if Malaysia do not build a team for the future.
Meanwhile, on her preparations for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games from July 27-Aug 8, Pandelela will be happy if there was no medal target. The diving competition will be from Aug 4-8.
“I guess we will feel more excited if there is no medal target for diving at the Commonwealth Games. There will be lesser pressure on the team, so we can enjoy the competition better,” said Pandelela.
“My goal is just to give my best,” she added.
It will be wonderful if her best is translated into another medal in her third Commonwealth Games.
In her debut at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Pandelela won a bronze with Dhabitah in the 10m synchronised platform despite a knee injury. At the last edition in Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018, she won a gold with Cheong Jun Hoong in the 10m synchronised platform.
