Arif shows star potential, youngsters dive to four golds at SEA C’ship

All in sync: Arif Aisy Rossharisham (behind, far right) with the other Malaysian divers who won medals.

PETALING JAYA: Youngster Arif Aisy Rossharisham showed he is a potential star in the making as Malaysian divers splashed to four gold medals in the South-East Asia (SEA) Championship in Singapore.

Arif is on the right track to follow in the footsteps of his father Rossharisham Roslan, a former SEA Games gold medallist, after claiming gold in the boys’ 14-15 3m springboard event.

He won with a commanding score of 348.00 points in his first international assignment, followed by Vietnam’s Chi Kien Phung (320.20) and another Malaysian Afraz Miqael Norazlan (263.95).

Rossharisham had partnered Yeoh Ken Nee to clinch a first-ever silver in the men’s 3m springboard synchro event in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and is currently a coach with Sabah Sports School in Kota Kinabalu.

Another Sabah boy Onell Lee led a gold and silver sweep for Malaysia in the boys’ 13 and below platform with 263.95 points, narrowly edging teammate Lee Han Yin (261.05).

In the girls’ 13 and below platform event, Malaysians Fabiana Anderianna Anak Brook and Nur Aryna Balqis Affendi shared the gold medal after both chalked up 222.05 points.

In the girls’ 18 and below platform synchro, the Malaysian pairing of Nurul Farisya Alia Affendi and Cecelia Olivia Christopher Leoneil proved unstoppable, winning gold with 226.08 points.

Malaysia also bagged two more silver medals from Mohd Luftir Rahman in boys’ 16-18 1m springboard (396.25) and Cecelia in the girls’ 14-15 3m springboard (286.00).