KUCHING: She is an Olympic medallist and Malaysia's first woman to triumph at that level, but Pandelela Rinong Pamg was like any other teenager the day after.

“I love K-Pop and enjoy Super Junior and Wonder Girls. I'm a big fan of Japanese anime,” the 19-year-old diving sensation said in a telephone interview from London yesterday.

Adding that she was having a ball at the London Olympics, Pandelela is just beginning to come to terms with her historic bronze medal feat in the 10m platform event on Friday.

“After the results came in, I was all emotional and cried. I spoke to my dad (over the telephone) almost immediately. He congratulated me and said all my aunties and uncles watched my feat on TV in Kuching,” she said.

Full of pride: (From left) Pandelela’s sisters Parcelia Renyelia, 12, and Pici Parnia, 14, together with their parents browsing through newspapers featuring Pandelela on every cover.

The Bidayuh lass, however, said she felt really sad that her parents were not by her side during the biggest moment of her life.

Hertini Lamin, 44, was on a sponsored trip to London from Aug 5 till Thursday, and was on her return journey when her daughter was competing in the final.

Pandelela said her family, who lives in a village near Bau about 40km from here, was trying to venture into the restaurant business.

Having been raised in near poverty, she spent her younger days following her dad Pamg Joheng, a daily paid labourer, from one construction site to another.

The flag bearer of the national contingent at the London Olympics opening ceremony has a burning desire: to speak to Malaysia's other London Olympic medallist, shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who broke down after failing narrowly to win the gold medal in the men singles final.

“Chong Wei is an inspiration to me. I watched that game live on TV. I want to tell him it's okay if we cannot be the best, but just that we should give it our all.”

Fondly called LuLu by her friends, Pandelela said she planned to continue with her studies and stay focused on her diving.

“I plan to follow my coach Yang Zhuliang to Australia. He has told us that he wants to return to his home in Australia,” said Pandelela, who had appealed to the National Sports Council to retain Yang's services.

Pandelela said Yang had told her that it would be possible for her to study and continue her training in Australia.

Related Stories:
Pandelela: Reward to fund studies and career

• Malaysia tycoon Vincent Tan plans IPO of football club Cardiff City
• Google, like Facebook, in talks to buy Waze for about US$1bil
• Crown selling entire 10% in rival Echo, partly owned by Genting(Update)
• First edition of 'Great Gatsby' to be sold at auction, can fetch US$150,000
• Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
• Markets face rough summer ride as Fed pullback feared
• Wall Street sags, HP hits 52-week high
• Commodities trader sues BP, Shell others for alleged oil price fixing
• Billionaire Icahn seeks up to US$7bil for Dell bid
• Google faces new federal antitrust probe
• Goldman Sachs unveils checks on conflicts in bid to fix tarnished image
• Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
• Maybank bullish on growth, to expand regionally under new leadership
• Khazanah appoints Nor Mohamed deputy chairman
• Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August

• British police arrest two men on diverted Pakistan flight
• Britain scrambles fighter jets to escort Pakistani passenger plane
• 5,000 cave paintings discovered in Mexico
• Cars, schools ablaze in fifth night of Stockholm riots
• London's Heathrow airport closed after emergency landing
• Far East quake felt in Moscow, tsunami warning lifted
• Police make new arrests in London soldier killing
• Britain's press demands jailing of Islamist preacher
• Tsunami warning in Russia's Far East after 8.2 quake
• US bridge collapse sends cars, people into river
• Strong quake strikes off Tonga
• Jury fails to decide on US murderer death sentence
• One killed in Brazil giant fuel depot blaze

• British Open: Nicol David deals with disruptions for semi spot
• Kingston leads, McIlroy in Wentworth woe
• LPGA plans 12-hole rounds in water-logged Bahamas
• Ryan Palmer sizzles with 62 to seize lead at Colonial
• Kelly overcomes scare to clinch title in KLGCC
• Time to make amends Garcia wants to meet Woods to defuse racist row
• American Johnson back to defend Colonial crown
• Rain dampens debut of LPGA Bahamas event
• Tianlang adds another US event to schedule
• Clock ticking for next golden generation
• Nadal wants to create history at Roland Garros
• Serena out to tame French Open demons
• Zheng Jie stuns Wozniacki in Brussels
• British Open: Ramy Ashour racks up 38th successive win
• Nicol David sails into quarter-finals of British Open in 35 minutes

• Please wait.

• KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
• Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
• Singapore GDP growth surprises, beats economists’ forecast of contraction
• Tian, Tamrin and Haris released after remand denied (updated)
• Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
• Inventions a-plenty, but no real innovation
• Robber shot dead after attacking out-of-uniform cop with meat cleaver
• Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August
• Three held over May 13 statements
• Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia