Podium push for male divers

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s male divers are edging closer to Asian Games podium contention – but technical director Yeoh Ken Nee believes they must consistently break the 420-point barrier to truly challenge Asia’s best in Aichi-Nagoya this September.

While several divers impressed during the National Trials at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil last month, Ken Nee stressed that performances still fell short of medal-winning standards at the continental level.

Among the standout performers were Yong Rui Jie, who scored 407.60 points in the men’s 3m springboard, Elvis Priestly Clement with 412.90 in the men’s 10m platform, and reserve diver Anilrian Normatrud Abdullah, who posted 403.50 in the same event.

“The performances were satisfactory, with many hitting the Minimum Qualifying Scores (MQS).

“But if we are talking about Asian Games level, you are looking at higher standards, around 420 points at least.

“Diving is subjective. Even if you perform well, the scores awarded by the judges can vary.

“We have to improve the overall quality to avoid heavy deductions.

“China are on a different level, so that leaves us to fight with Japan, South Korea and North Korea at this point, so we need to get the divers to score consistently over the 400-point barrier from now.

“We are focusing on improving their execution and consistency to help them close the gap on their Asian rivals,” he said.

Malaysia have been forced to rely heavily on MQS achieved at local and simulated training meets as a benchmark for both performance assessment and Asian Games selection due to the lack of overseas events this year.

No Malaysian male diver has won Asian Games gold, but several have reached the podium over the years, including Ooi Tze Liang, who claimed bronze in Hangzhou in 2023, Bryan Nickson Lomas (bronze, Guangzhou 2010), and the pair of Rossharisham Roslan-Yeoh Ken Nee, who captured silver in the men’s 3m synchronised springboard at the 2006 Doha Games.