PETALING JAYA: It was a rollercoaster journey that Nur Dhabitah Sabri (pic) had to go through heading to the Paris Olympics, but through it all, she always wore a smile.
Despite missing the mark with two bad jumps in the final of the women’s 3m springboard on Friday, Dhabitah is keeping her head up and says she deserves a pat on the back for rising through the challenges, and she rightfully deserves it.
And she said the outing in Paris has revived her spirit to carry on diving.
The 25-year-old shared a heartfelt message after her third Olympic Games journey came to an end.
“I do feel like I deserve a pat on the back for climbing back up. There was a moment when diving and the Olympics weren’t my dreams anymore,” said Dhabitah.
“The only dream I had was giving up. So now I’m proud to say that I’m strong enough to stand back up when life pushes me down.
“Remember, when life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life a hundred reasons to smile,” she said.
It was heartbreak for Dhabitah to finish in last place out of 12 divers in the final, as two costly dives saw her finish with 244.80, but she takes pride in making the final despite taking up an unused quota to compete.
“There’s so much more to be grateful for rather than being too hard on myself,” said Dhabitah.
“I need time to heal, I was being hard on myself, didn’t appreciate myself enough, didn’t give myself credit, and was not thankful for being myself.
“I’ve done everything, I gave all of my strength and energy to make sure I’m prepared for this but time was my greatest enemy,” she said.
Dhabitah only got her ticket to Paris close to a month before the Olympics started. It was a slow preparation for her, but with the support from her team, Dhabitah pulled off an amazing journey to make the top 12 final.
At the last Olympics in Tokyo, she had finished fourth.
“I can’t be more grateful for what I’ve accomplished during this Olympics. From not qualifying during the World Championships in Doha to being in the final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Thank you to all those who spent so much time and effort to make sure I’m in my best condition to perform, mentally and physically.
“We did what we could with limited time, we followed every training programme as planned. So let’s be happy and continue moving forward,” she said.
Australia’s Maddison Keeney, who finished with a silver medal in the event, also praised Dhabitah, saying, “You should be proud of yourself! You’re amazing and you absolutely deserve this!”
China’s Chen Yiwen won gold in an amazing fashion as she scored 376.00 while teammate Chang Yani showed grit when she bounced back from a rough start to finish with a bronze medal (318.75 points).
