BARCELONA: A dismayed Pandelela Rinong was trying to hold back her tears as she walked back to the team area after finishing her last dive of the 15th World Championships at the Montjuic Municipal Pool on Thursday.
Everyone watching must have felt pity for her as a gust of wind blew her hopes away as she eventually finished sixth in the women’s 10m platform final.
Pandelela’s decision to re-take her third dive – an armstand back double somersault and twist – cost her points deduction of two each from the seven judges. She only earned 54.40 and with her confidence shaken, only managed 56.00 for the next dive.
The London Olympic bronze medallist recovered with a 76.80 but her chances of picking up a second medal here was long gone as she completed her event with a total of 334.55 points.
The bronze was heading Pandelela’s way as she was in third position after the two routine dives. In the end, Ukraine’s Iuliia Prokopchuk, the reigning European champion, snatched the bronze with 358.40 points.
Chinese stand-out Si Yajie, yet to turn 15 and with less than a year’s experience competing outside her country, pulled off a big upset by beating her illustrious team-mate and defending champion Chen Ruolin to the gold medal.
Yajie amassed 392.15 points while two-time Olympic gold medallist Ruolin settled for silver with 388.70 points. It was the second silver for Ruolin, who was beaten to second place in Rome in 2009 by Mexico’s Paola Espinosa on the high board discipline.
Gutted was the best word to describe Pandelela’s emotions as she put up a brave front when asked what happened to her. “There was strong wind blowing suddenly and I lost balance while I was balancing myself.
“I had to take it again and I knew I was not going to get a good score as my points will be deducted.
“But I had no choice. I don’t want to end up like this.
“I believed I had a good chance to get my first individual medal but it’s not mine in the end,” said the disappointed Pandelela, who finished fifth twice in this event in Rome (2009) and Shanghai (2011).
There is no choice but for Pandelela to accept that Thursday was not her day and she had no choice but to learn from the bitter experience.
Pandelela will still return home with a medal as she partnered Leong Mun Yee to reclaim the women’s 10m platform synchro bronze they first won in Rome.
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