Pandelela eyes 2012 Olympics gold

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KUALA LUMPUR: Commonwealth Games diving gold medallist Pandelela Rinong is setting her sights on the 2010 Olympics Games in London.

QUEST FOR GOLD: Pandelela with Minos in Kuala Lumpur.

“Yes, I want to do my best for Malaysia,” she told Datuk Peter Minos, chairman of the Bung Bratak Heritage Association, here recently.

The 17-year-old from Kampung Jugan, Bau, who also won the synchronised diving silver medal and the 10m platform bronze medal in the Guangzhou Asian Games last month, said she would be training and competing in synchronised diving over the next two years in her quest of an Olympic gold medal in London.

“I would be happy only if I could get gold for Malaysia,” she said.

A Fifth Former at Kompleks Sukan Negara Kuala Lumpur, Pandelela is very disciplined. She is training and studying at the same time.

“I try to manage my time and I’m happy I can study and train at the same time. No problem with that,” she added.

It seemed that when the going got tough, Pandelela got going. In the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, she had a leg injury while in Asian Games in China, she was suffering from neck pain.

“I told myself to give it the best shot and I forgot the pain when I went in for the finals”, she recalled.

Pandelela started diving eight years ago when she was nine. “My father encouraged me and I’m most grateful to him and also my mother,” she said.

On her cash awards, Pandelela said they would help her family immensely.

The federal government rewarded her RM100,000 for her gold medal and RM40,000 for her silver and bronze medals.

She also thanked the state government for the Ahli Bintang Sarawak (ABS) award and the RM50,000 reward in recognition of her Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Minos said he was proud of Pandelela, not just for her gold medal but also her discipline and determination. Even at her young age, she is displaying qualities worthy of emulation.

“I wish her luck for the 2012 London Olympics. If she gets the gold, she will be the very first to do so in Malaysia,” he added.