A screenshot taken from Pandelela’s official Facebook account.
KUCHING: Sarawakian diving sensation Pandelela Rinong took a break from her training recently and swapped out her swimsuit for some high fashion that would make even a seasoned fashionista envious.
In an exclusive photoshoot and interview with Malaysia Tatler that also saw her appearing on its cover, Pandelela looked very much at home dressed in Burberry and Gucci attire and posing like a pro for the cameras.
The public is most familiar with Pandelela decked out in her orange Team Malaysia jersey, celebrating a win on the podium or leaping through the air acrobatically as she performs one of her many stunning diving feats, but rare is the chance to see this more lighthearted side of the sports star.
Pandelela looked particularly stunning in a form-fitting black Fendi jacket and elaborate Tory Burch earrings during the shoot, as well as sporting a more casual, relaxed look in a shoulder-bearing grey Michael Kors sweater and dark checkered pants, topped off with a fashionable beret.
The 24-year-old Olympic silver medalist spoke candidly about her life that revolved around diving, giving her all to the sport, her relationship with her family members and plans for the future.
In her words, ‘normalcy’ for others takes on a completely meaning for her, a person who has dedicated most of her life to diving ever since she was selected as a state representative at the tender age of seven.
“I think I would have been just a normal girl, doing ordinary routines like going to school, getting married early,” Pandelela told Malaysia Tatler in the interview. “It probably would have been a simpler life. My cousins, who are younger than me are happily married with children.”
But she rounded it off by saying how grateful she was for taking up the sport, and how it changed her life and enabled her to move onto the world stage and do what she does best.
She also revealed an “addiction”, in the words of her coach, to massages and a secret desire to go car drifting – which, she sadly acknowledged, was out of the question due to the physical risks it posed to her diving career.
Pandelela also touched on her critics, and how their words cut deep when it came to her performances in the sport, and also on her personal life.
“Maybe they forget that I’m a girl. People always watch me anyway, and are curious about what I do, so I guess I just have to be extra careful. For me, it’s OK. I try not to let it affect me. Of course I will be upset for awhile, but I get over it,” she told Tatler, when asked about how some netizens would criticize her for appearing in fashion shoots.
The diving star posted an excited status on Aug 2 on her official Facebook account, talking about the interview and exclaiming “What a way to welcome the month of August”, garnering hundreds of reactions and comments.
Pandelela is set to compete in this month’s SEA Games and is also working on completing her degree in Sports Science at Universiti Malaya.