Tze Liang misses early ticket to Paris but shows Asiad credentials

Focused: Ooi Tze Liang competing in the men’s 3m springboard semi-finals of the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, yesterday. — AP

PETALING JAYA: Hangzhou Asian Games-bound springboard diver Ooi Tze Liang can take heart from his performance in the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, after coming close to becoming the first Malaysian athlete to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Tze Liang came close to pulling off a major surprise by reaching the top-12 final in the men’s 3m springboard competition yesterday, which would have guaranteed him an early Olympic ticket to Paris.