Malaysia lose China’s Li brothers to Singapore diving set-up

PETALING JAYA: First it was Wendy Ng Yan Yee. Now Malaysia have also lost Chinese diving coach Li Junbai (pic) to Singapore, who recently celebrated their first SEA Games male gold medallist in 60 years in Avvir Tham.

Junbai, along with younger brother Junsong, are no longer part of the Malaysian coaching set-up.

Junbai started work with the national team in 2022 and began taking charge of the Podium squad from last year with another Chinese coach Mao Lin and former diver Nor Aznizal Najib.

Junbai trained Sarawakian Bertrand Rhodict to advance to the men’s 10m platform individual final at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan in 2023 and in the process, became the first Malaysian athlete to qualify for Paris Olympics.

Junsong, meanwhile, was assigned to the Fast Track programme, which is specifically geared to develop divers for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, along with former SEA Games gold medallist Farah Begum Abdullah.

Like Wendy, Junbai has accepted a coaching job in Singapore where he will be involved in the training of the back-up divers in Singapore.

Wendy joined Singapore Aquatics as a talent development coach one year ago after retiring from competitive diving, the first Malaysian to take up an overseas coaching job.

Prior to transitioning as a coach, Junbai was a platform diver in China and won the men’s 10m platform gold medals at FINA Diving Grand Prix events in the past.

He also took gold in the platform discipline at the World Junior Championships in 2006.

“The two siblings decided not to renew their contracts, which expired at the end of December.

They have been part of our coaching set-up for the last few years after the Covid-19 lockdown ended,” said Malaysia Aquatics secretary Andy Low, who added they are in the process of finding replacements.

“It’s not easy to find new coaches as it’s just two years away from the end of the Olympic cycle.

“The existing coaches will help to share the workload in the meantime.”

The coaches handling the back-up squad are former internationals Datuk Leong Mun Yee, Ooi Tze Liang and Lu Jianing.