Strong pair: Pandelela Rinong (left) and Nur Dhabitah Sabri in action at the Vietnam SEA Games. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: With no target to aim for, the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary from June 18-July 3 will serve as a warm-up for the Commonwealth Games.
The Games to be held in Birmingham from July 28-Aug 8, is without doubt the main priority as diving is viewed as a gold medal prospect.
With that in mind, Malaysia Swimming (MS), who have named a 10-member squad for the world meet, will only focus mostly on events that will also be held in Birmingham.
Mixed synchro diving will also make its debut in the Games for the first time.
The addition of the mixed synchro 3m springboard and 10m platform means there will be a total of 12 events.
“The main priority for us is the Commonwealth Games since there is just a short period of time in between,” said MS secretary Mae Chen.
“We are likely to skip some of the events at the world meet as we don’t want our divers to exert themselves.
“The focus will be mostly on the 3m springboard and the 10m platform events because those are events where we are stronger.“But of course the final line-up will only be decided by the coaches during the team managers’ meeting on June 26, a day before the diving competition begins,” she said.
Four-time Olympian Pandelela Rinong heads the women’s team alongside Nur Dhabitah Sabri, Wendy Ng Yan Yee and Ong Ker Ying.
The men will be led by Ooi Tze Liang, Chew Yiwei, Syafiq Puteh, Hanis Nazirul Jaya Surya, Jellson Jabillin and Gabriel Gilbert Daim.
Pandelela looks set for double duty in the individual and synchro events in the women’s 10m platform category.
Dhabitah, who bagged two gold medals at the recent Hanoi SEA Games, will also compete in two events – the women’s 3m and 10m synchro events – where she will pair up with Wendy and Pandelela respectively.
“Dhabitah may want to do an individual event as well although this will be decided during the team managers’ meeting,” she added.
There will also be three swimmers who will be heading for the world meet.
The trio are SEA Games gold medallist Khiew Hoe Yean, Phee Jinq En and Goh Chia Tong.
They will depart for Budapest on June 13 while the divers will be leaving on June 18.
The world meet was supposed to take place last year but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the last world meet in Gwangju, South Korea in 2019, Malaysia earned a silver through Pandelela-Leong Mun Yee in the women’s 10m platform synchro.
