Pandelela’s dream of a fifth Olympics appearance shattered

Not quite in sync: Malaysia’s Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri in action during the women’s 10m synchro final at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar. — Reuters

PETALING JAYA: There will be no fifth Olympic appearance for veteran diver Pandelela Rinong. Her final chance to secure a place in the Paris Olympics fizzled out after she and partner Nur Dhabitah Sabri were forced to settle for 12th spot out of 16 pairs in the women’s 10m platform synchro event at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

The duo only scored 41.40, 40.80, 51.30, 50.88 and 55.68 to finish with a total of 240.06 points in the world meet, which also doubles as the last Olympic qualifying event, at the Hamad Aquatic Centre.