KUALA LUMPUR – National diving queen Datuk Pandelela Rinong has publicly expressed regret after failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
After a disappointing performance at the recently concluded World Aquatic Championships in Doha, Qatar, the 30-year-old acknowledged the valuable lessons learned from missing out on the Paris 2024 ticket.
“Despite my best effort preparing for the Doha World Championship, the good and the bad, I’ll take them as a lesson moving forward,” she shared via a post on her social media account.
The two-time Olympic medalist extended her gratitude to everyone who supported her Olympic qualification journey and asked for forgiveness for not fulfilling her promise this time.
“No matter what, I’ll keep my chin up and bounce back stronger in future competition, for I’m not done yet and will continue trusting in God’s plan,” read the post.
Partnering with Nur Dhabitah Sabri in the 10m platform synchronised event in Doha, Pandelela secured a 12th-place finish with a total score of 240.06 points.
However, she also fell short in the individual 10m platform event, finishing 29th out of 46 divers, missing out on the semi-finals.
This marks the first time the Sarawakian diver will miss the Summer Games since her debut in Beijing in 2008 at the age of 15.
As the qualification process unfolds, only one national diving athlete so far, Bertrand Rhodict Lises, has made it to Paris.
Bertrand qualified for the 10m individual platform event during the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, last July. — February 12, 2024