KUALA LUMPUR — National diver Ooi Tze Liang, having missed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is determined to stage a comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Although he admitted there was little room for improvement in diving techniques, the 29-year-old aims to stay consistent for the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha next February, providing a chance for Olympic qualification.
With the men’s 3m springboard event allowing the top 18 divers to advance to the Olympics, Tze Liang sees it as a key opportunity.
“There will be only four spots up for grabs in the men’s 3m springboard synchronised event.
“So, I think the individual event might be easier to qualify for,” he told reporters at the 2023 Malaysia Open Diving Championships here today.
Tze Liang, who competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, plans to continue partnering with Muhammad Syafiq Puteh in the synchronised event at the upcoming Doha meet.
Their successful bronze win at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games further boosts their confidence.
Recently, Tze Liang secured victory at the Malaysia Open Diving Championships 2023, scoring 418.80 points in the men’s 3m springboard event, with Vyacheslav Kachanov and Yong Rui Jie earning silver and bronze, respectively.
In the women’s 10m platform event, 14-year-old Sarawak diver Nurul Farisya Affendi surprised everyone by outperforming the 2023 SEA Games champion, Lee Yiat Qing, securing gold with 212.15 points. — November 4, 2023