Pandelela Rinong
KUCHING: National diver Pandelela Rinong wants to bring more glory to the country by doing well at the 9th Asian Swimming Championship in Dubai, UAE this November.
The meet, which contests all forms of aquatic sports will start from Nov 15 to 25, with the diving events scheduled from Nov 22 to 25.
“I have high hopes for the tournament. I am prepared and I hope that I can put on an improved performance there,” said the diver who is currently undergoing intensive training in Kuala Lumpur.
She trains from 8.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 7.30pm daily at the Bukit Jalil Aquatics centre.
“Training is great and I am totally focused. I want this tournament to be a platform to improve my world rankings too,” she told The Borneo Post in a telephone interview.
Her diving coach is currently not in Malaysia as he is conducting training with a few of the national athletes in his native China, including teammate and fellow Sarawakian diver Traisy Vivien Tukiet.
In another development, Pandelela revealed that she is doing fine in her new life as student at Universiti Malaya.
She remarked that life as a student is fun and she is cherishing her moments there.
“I’m proud to be here. It’s a new experience for me and I’m looking forward to excel academically as well,” she commented.
Pandelela turned down a few scholarship offers including a place in Australia. She wants to stay in Malaysia to be closer to her teammates and also train under national coach Yang.
Pandelela is also happy that her mother made frequent trips to Kuala Lumpur to see her.
She added it helped her a lot in coping with her new status as a sport celebrity in the country.