All smiles: Federal Territories’ Lee Yiat Qing (centre) celebrating after her win. With her are silver and bronze medallists Dayang Nursharzyra Awang Nasaruddin (left) and Nur Eilisha Rania Mohd Abrar Raj of Sarawak. — Bernama
DEBUTANT Lee Yiat Qing put everything on the line, trying out three new dive routines at the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre.
One turned disastrous, but she still managed the others perfectly to snatching the last gold medal at stake for Federal Territories in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) diving competition yesterday.
After settling for silver in the girls’ platform event on Tuesday, the 16-year-old went for broke and entered the 3m springboard individual competition with the three completely new dive routines.
One bad dive saw her earning only 27.00 points, and sent her tumbling to fourth position.
But subsequent dives saw her earning 51.60, 50.40 and 51.80, pushing her to the top with a total of 231.20 points.
Sarawakian Dayang Nursharzyra Awang Nasaruddin’s, bidding to claim her fourth gold medal on home ground, could only settle for silver with 228.25 points.
Her fellow Sarawakian Nur Eilisha Rania Mohd Abrar Raj took the bronze with 225.70 points.
The 16-year-old Yiat Qing was competing in her first Sukma but came with the reputation of having won gold in the 10m platform at the Cambodia SEA Games last year.
And she was glad the pressure was finally off her shoulders.
“There was a lot of pressure on me as everyone was expecting me to do well after the SEA Games. In the platform competition, I was not doing so well as I had not recovered fully from a right hand wrist injury.
“For the springboard individual final today, I was just trying my best to fight for a medal as I was using new dives.
“Dayang, Eilisha and I are actually very close in standards as we are all training together in the national team.
“I feel grateful after all the hard work,” said Yiat Qing, whose gold medal was the third for FT in diving.
Mohd Lutfir Rahman Mohd Razak-Nurul Farisya Alia Affendi gave Sarawak their ninth diving gold after winning the platform mixed synchro event with 234.66 points. Megat Azim Hakimi Megat Nor Ismail-Cecelia Olivia Christopher Leoneil took silver for Perak with 209.94 points.
RESULTS
Finals
Girls 3m springboard individual: 1. Lee Yiat Qing (FT) 231.20, 2. Dayang Nursharzyra Awang Nasaruddin (Swk) 228.25, 3. Nur Eilisha Rania Mohd Abrar Raj (Swk) 225.70.
Platform mixed synchro: 1. Mohd Lutfir Rahman Mohd Razak-Nurul Farisya Alia Affendi (Swk) 234.66, 2. Megat Azim Hakimi Megat Nor Ismail-Cecelia Olivia Christopher Leoneil (Prk) 209.94, 3. Ng Jia Gee- Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohd Nazim (FT) 203.97.
