Ex-world diving champ Jun Hoong keen to become coach

TANJUNG MALIM: Former national diver and world champion Cheong Jun Hoong, 34, has not ruled out the possibility of returning to the national diving fold as a coach at a later stage.

Jun Hoong, who officially announced her retirement in January 2022, said she has yet to seriously consider the matter as her focus now is to complete her studies in communications at a local institution of higher learning.

“I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss it (diving). It’s just that right now I am not thinking about becoming a coach. But once I’ve completed my studies, I might give it a shot, if there is an opening.

“I am always open to opportunities and am ready to serve the country, which has helped me become a world champion. But, for now, I want to try many things which I never could when I was an athlete,” she said.

Jun Hoong, who hails from Ipoh, created history when she became the country’s first diver to win the world title in the 10m individual platform at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Commenting on the performance of the current national divers, she admitted that there has been a dip in terms of their achievement, describing it as something normal.

“I am sure they will bounce back, courtesy of the ongoing programmes and training sessions being carried out by the coaches,” she said. — Bernama