Yan Yee-Jun Hoong give M’sia first diving medal

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INCHEON: Divers Wendy Ng Yan Yee and Cheong Jun Hoong who resumed their partnership after going separate ways, showed they still had the combination to fish out a silver medal from the diving pool on the first day of diving competition at the Munhak Parl Tae-hwan Aquatics Centreyesterday.

Yan Yee-Jun Hoong accumulated 287.70 points to clinch the silver medal in the Women’s 3m Synchronized Springboard diving, the first in diving for the country at the Incheon Asian Games.

With the duo’s feat, Malaysia retained the silver medal won in Guangzhou, China in 2010, when Yan Yee partnered Leong Mun Yee.

“I am not really satisfied with my dive because we did better in training but are quite happy with it. So, hope we can do better next time. In Guangzhou, we won silver and we did the same here,” said the 21-year-old Kuala Lumpur born diver.

Chinese pair Shi Tiangmao-Wu Minxia won the gold medal with a score of 318.60 points while North Korea’s Choe Ungyong-Kim Jinok settled for the bronze with 274.32 points. Yan Yee-Jun Hoong had also secured a bronze medal at the World Diving Series in Edinburgh and Moscow in April last year, a month after they collected a bronze at the USA FINA Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale.

Meanwhile diver Chew Yiwei made a memorable debut in the Asian Games when he clinched a bronze medal from the men’s 10m Synchronized Platform at the Munhak Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Centre yesterday.

Yiwei who partnered the Commonwealth gold medallist, Ooi Tze Liang, accumulated 384.90 points to finish behind China’s gold medal winning duo, Zhang Yanquan and Chen Aisen (462.90 points) and Korean pair Kim Yeongnam and Woo Haram, the silver medal winners (403.50 points).

“I feel the Asian Games is very tough because teams like North Korea, Japan, Korea and China are very strong. I’m extremely happy to be the first time on the podium.

“I perform what I’ve trained before. After the Commonwealth it was like a miracle in disguise. I was determined to train hard and push myself to the limit,” he said. Yiwei may also compete in the men’s 3m Synchronized Springboard if Ahmad Amsyar Azman is not able to make it today since the 18-year-old from Selangor would be taking part in men’s individual 10m platform.

“I am looking forward to my next event,” said Chew, who rejoined the national team after the 2012 Sukma in Pahang.In Guangzhou, Tze Liang partnered Bryan Nickson Lomas to win the silver medal after accumulating 407.16 points. — Bernama