Malaysia’s Pandelela Rinong competes in the women’s 10m platform diving final event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, August 5, 2021. – AFP pic
KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 – Diving fans once again will see the combination of two best national divers if Nur Dhabitah Sabri is chosen to pair with Datuk Pandelela Rinong Pamg at the Hanoi SEA Games from May 12-23.
Malaysia Swimming (MS) secretary-general Mae Chan said Pandelela would compete in the women’s synchronised 10 metres (m) platform event at the biennial Games but her partner has not been finalised yet.
Apart from Nur Dhabitah, Mae said another name being considered for teaming up with Pandelela is young diver Kimberly Bong.
“We have three girls now heading to that event,” she said, while confirming that MS also picked two young divers for the men’s synchronised 10m platform event during the SEA Games Selection Committee meeting at Wisma OCM here today.
The two new faces selected for the men’s synchronised 10m platform are Bertrand Rhodict Lises and Enrique Maccartney.
Nur Dhabitah and Kimberly were previously linked to Pandelela as her possible partner to fill the space left Leong Mun Yee, who retired last December.
The pairing of Pandelela and Nur Dhabitah in the 10m platform synchronised event would be nothing new as they won a bronze at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and a silver at the fourth FINA World Diving Series in Windsor, Canada in 2017.
Mae said MS had not set any specific target in Hanoi but stressed that the national diving camp would give their best performance.
“We will do our very best to win gold for the country; that’s all I can say,” she said.
For swimming events, Mae said the Malaysian Open Championship from March 3-6 in Bukit Jalil here would be the last evaluation for athletes to go to the SEA Games.
MS wants to send athletes who are truly at their best rather than choosing based on past records or achievements, she said. – Bernama