KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia Swimming (MS) is anxiously awaiting to see if Nur Dhabitah Sabri or Ooi Tze Liang will secure the last chance to compete at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in July.
MS technical director Bryan Nickson Lomas explained that both divers have a shot at competing in Paris, but their prospects hang by a thread, contingent upon unused quota allocations.
Furthermore, priority will be given to divers who qualified for the semi-finals and finals of the World Aquatics Championships in Doha last February, with a total of 136 divers slated to compete in Paris.
On June 9, World Aquatics will announce the final list of divers who have qualified to compete in the Olympics.
Dhabitah fell short of making it to the finals in the women’s individual 3m springboard event at the championship, ending in 24th place with an overall score of 238.15 points.
In two preceding events, partnering with Datuk Pandelela Rinong in the 10m platform synchronised and the 3m springboard synchronised with Wendy Ng Yan Yee, they also failed to clinch favourable results.
Meanwhile, Tze Liang also missed the mark in the men’s individual 3m springboard event, finishing 23rd overall.
“The chances for Dhabitah and Tze Liang to compete in Paris are there, but they are very slim, as the announcement of the list of qualified divers for the Olympic Games will be announced early in June.
“Thus, we remain hopeful for positive news for the Malaysian contingent.
“For instance, if a country nominates the same athlete for two different events, it could potentially open up quotas for us. However, we are still awaiting estimates from the World Aquatics,” said Bryan.
As of now, only Bertrand Rhodict Lises has secured a spot to compete in Paris for the individual 10m platform event, marking the 18-year-old athlete’s debut on the world’s largest sporting stage.
Despite the narrow odds, Bryan emphasised their meticulous preparations, including training programmes, should Dhabitah or Tze Liang clinch a spot in Paris.
“We are exploring the possibility of sending them for training abroad, possibly in Melbourne alongside Rhodict. All administrative matters are currently being handled.
“We must make early arrangements because, if selected for Paris, both divers will have undergone thorough training,” he added. – May 1, 2024