No diver spared from two local selection trials for Asian Games list

High standards: Pandelela Rinong (left) and Nur Dhabitah Sabri can’t rely on past results to make the grade.

KUALA LUMPUR: All divers, including seniors Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri, will have to pass through two domestic selection trials to be on the list for the Asian Games in Japan.

The Games from Sept 19-Oct 4 is the biggest assignment for the divers this year after the sport was dropped from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July. There is no World Championships this year as well.

Technical director Yeoh Ken Nee highlighted the importance of choosing divers on current form and not based on past results.

“If for example, the seniors who have competed at the Olympics like Pandelela and Dhabitah fail to secure the MQS (Minimum Qualifying Score) needed, then we will look at the performance of the back-up divers and see whether they had cleared it,” said Ken Nee.

Malaysia missed a chance to qualify for the Asian Games when the World Cup meet in Canada was cancelled due to violence in host country Mexico.

Ken Nee said the local competitions would be the important indicators to choose the best.

“We will have the national diving trials here in Bukit Jalil next week and also the National Age-Group Championships in Kuching, Sarawak, middle of next month.

“Everybody who wants to be on the final list for the Asian Games will have to pass the MQS in their main events.

“The Olympic Council of Malaysia are strict with the Asian Games list as they only want the qualifiers.’’

At the last Asian Games in Hangzhou three years ago, Malaysia bagged one silver and four bronze medals from diving.

The sole silver came from Wendy Ng Yan Yee-Dhabitah in the women’s 3m springboard synchro. Dhabitah also contributed a bronze with Pandelela in the women’s 10m platform synchro.

Pandelela also took home a bronze in the 10m platform individual while the remaining medals came from Mohd Syafiq Puteh-Ooi Tze Liang (men’s 3m springboard synchro) and Bertrand Rhodict-Enrique Maccartney Harold (men’s 10m platform synchro).