SHAH ALAM: From gymnastics to the diving board, and then to the top of the podium in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) – all in just eight months.
On Sunday (Aug 23), Selangor debutant Ayu Syuhaida Khairul, 14, kept her cool under pressure to stun the favourites for the girls’ 3m springboard individual gold at Selangor Aquatics in Shah Alam.
Ayu kept her composure despite trailing after the opening dive of 43.20 points, before steadily building momentum with scores of 48.60, 50.40, 51.80 and 43.20 to finish with 237.20 points.
Sarawak's Dayang Nurshazyra Awang Nasaruddin, the early leader, eventually settled for silver with 223.20 points while national diver Lee Yiat Qing, the pre-competition favourite, finished with bronze in 216.10 after a difficult start.
For Ayu, the victory was difficult to digest.
"This is like a dream I don’t want to wake up from. I did not expect this as I was up against divers from the national team.
"In training, I was not so consistent but today, I realised I had a chance after the third dive," said Ayu, who dedicated the victory to coach Rossharisham Roslan and her family.
Ayu started gymnastics at the age of six and continued in the sport until last year before deciding to try something completely different.
She joined the Selangor diving team in January and, as they say, the rest is history.
"I felt I could not go a long way in artistic gymnastics and so I decided to try out diving.
"Making the transition is not really hard because the movements for diving are almost the same as gymnastics, but competing in Sukma is a different level," she said.
And having already made such a rapid leap, Ayu is now daring to dream even bigger, with the Olympics firmly in her sights.
"I hope I can take my dream all the way to the Olympics one day," she said.
Ayu also claimed a bronze medal with Trisya Ann Voon in the mixed 10m platform synchro, where they scored 213.78 points.
Asian Games-bound Nur Eilisha Rania claimed her fourth gold of the Games after teaming up with Elvis Priestly Clement to win the mixed 10m platform synchro with 253.95 points.
Sarawak topped the medal standings for diving with 8-3-3 followed by Selangor with 3-2-4.
RESULTS
Women
3m springboard individual: 1. Ayu Syuhaida Khairul (Sel) 237.20, 2. Dayang Nurshazyra Awang Nasaruddin (Swk) 223.20, 3. Lee Yiat Qing (FT) 216.10.
Mixed 10m platform synchro: 1. Nur Eilisha Rania-Elvis Priestly Clement (Swk) 253.95, 3.
Lee Yiat Qing-Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohd Nazim (FT) 229.47, 3. Trisya Ann Voon-Ayu Syuhaida Khairul (Sel) 213.78.
