SEPANG, July 29 — The national diving team, spearheaded by diving queens Datuk Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri, will leave for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) tonight.
The other divers in the squad are Muhammad Syafiq Puteh, Ooi Tze Liang, Gabriel Gilbert Daim, Chew Yi Wei, Jellson Jabillin, Hanis Nazirul Jaya Surya, Bertrand Rhodict Lises, Ng Yan Yee, Kimberly Bong Qian Ping and Ong Ker Ying.
Accompanying the team are national head coach Li Rui, assistant coach Li Junbai and team manager Datuk Leong Mun Yee.
The team is set to depart at 11.05pm on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH4271 for Heathrow Airport, London before heading to Birmingham, where the diving event will be held at the Sandwell Aquatic Centre from August 4.
“All the divers in good health and injury-free. Hopefully, they stay the same way in London and deliver the goods,” said Mun Yee.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) had targeted one gold medal from the diving team after their excellent performance at the World Championships 2022 in Budapest, Hungary earlier this month.
At the world meet, Malaysia won two bronze medals courtesy of Pandelela in the women’s 10-metre (m) platform individual and Pandelela-Nur Dhabitah in the women’s 10m platform synchronised.
On Saturday (July 23), more than 60 national athletes and officials from badminton, squash, athletics, artistic gymnastics, judo, table tennis, powerlifting and wheelchair basketball left for London.
About 6,500 athletes from 72 countries and territories are competing in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which began yesterday and will end on August 8. — Bernama
