Malaysian diving pair Cheong Jun Hoong (left) and Nur Dhabitah Sabri in action in the women's 10m platform synchro event at the FINA Diving Grand Prix at Bukit Jalil on Sunday. - M. AZHAR ARIF/ The STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: Looks like Malaysian diving is in sync.
After winning two gold medals on the opening two days of the FINA Diving Grand Prix through untested pairs, national diving head coach Yang Zhuliang put up another scratch pair which yielded yet another gold medal.
This time, it’s Cheong Jun Hoong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri who delivered the goods in the women’s 10m platform synchro at the at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil.
They had replaced first-choice pair Pandelela Rinong-Leong Mun Yee, and rose to the occasion to chalk up 319.74 points over five dives to beat last week’s Singapore Grand Prix winners Wang Han-Wang Ying (283.38) of China and Ukraine’s Tatsenko Vlada-Krasnoshlyk Ganna (273.33).
Jun Hoong-Dhabitah never looked like losing from the moment they took over the lead after the second dive.
In their fourth attempt, the Malaysian duo wowed the fans with a near-perfect execution of an inward 3½ somersault, with a 3.2 degree of difficulty, to earn 80.64 points en route to a commanding 36-point victory.
Earlier in the morning, Jun Hoong-Dhabitah picked up a silver in the 3m springboard synchro.
They amassed 288.75 points to finish behind China’s Xu Zhihuan-Wu Chunting (304.50).
The 16-year-old Dhabitah was not done yet, though.
Barely half an hour after her platform synchro triumph, she was back in action.
This time she partnered Muhd Syafiq Puteh to win another silver in the mixed 3m springboard synchro.
Her three-medal achievement in one day left the 25-year-old Jun Hoong in awe.
“Three podium finishes in just a day ... (Dhabitah) she’s just brilliant. When I was her age, I had achieved nothing,” said Jun Hoong.
On the opening day, Ahmad Amsyar Azman-Chew Yi Wei took part in the men’s 3m springboard synchro after just one training session and bagged the gold.
On Saturday, Chew Yi Wei-Jun Hoong won the mixed 10m platform synchro gold medal after just one practice session as well.
Malaysia ended their campaign with their best-ever haul of three golds and three silvers.
Amsyar had also contributed a silver in the men’s 3m springboard individual.
*Thumbnail Picture from Utusan Malaysia
RESULTS
MEN
10m platform individual: 1. Wang Anqi (Chn) 471.85, 2. Gao Ang (Chn) 451.70, 3. Espen Valheim (Nor) 396.80.
Selected: 4. Chew Yi Wei 392.25.
Selected: 4. Chew Yi Wei 392.25.
WOMEN
3m springboard synchro: 1. Xu Zhihuan-Wu Chunting (Chn) 304.50, 2. Cheong Jun Hoong-Nur Dhabitah Sabri (Mas) 288.75, 3. Anastasiia Nedobiga-Viktoriya Kesar (Ukr) 280.95.
10m platform synchro: 1. Cheong Jun Hoong-Nur Dhabitah Sabri (Mas) 319.74, 2. Wang Hang-Wang Ying (Chn) 283.38, 3. Vlada Tatsenko-Ganna Krasnoshlyk (Ukr) 273.33.
MIXED
3m springboard synchro: 1. Wu Chunting-Li Yanan (Chn) 303.00, 2. Muhd Syafiq Puteh-Nur Dhabitah Sabri (Mas) 287.70, 3. Oleg Kolodiy-Anastasiia Nedobiga (Ukr) 287.28.
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