KUALA LUMPUR — History repeated itself in Brazil after 20 years when national junior diver Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohd Nazim secured bronze in the boys’ 3m springboard final (16-18) at the World Junior Diving Championships in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
The 18-year-old amassed a total of 506.75 points, finishing behind China’s Yan Xin, who claimed gold with 546.60 points, and Norway’s Isak Borslien, who took silver with 508.35 points.
This marks Malaysia’s first podium finish in 18 years at the prestigious age-group competition. The last was in 2006, when Elizabeth Jimie and Bryan Nickson Lomas won gold and bronze, respectively, in Kuala Lumpur.
Notably, Bryan also clinched bronze in the same event (3m springboard) at the 2004 edition held in Belém, Brazil.
Speaking to Scoop, Bryan, now the technical director of the national diving team, said: “We are all very happy because Nurqayyum delivered a great performance. Credit also goes to the coach for making the smart tactical decision not to pursue a high-difficulty dive list.
“While I believe our junior divers are capable of even better results, this is a fantastic start for us here. There is still a long way to go in the competition.”
Bryan had initially set a modest target of a top-five finish for all seven divers competing in this year’s championship.
The World Juniors also serve as a crucial testing ground for national coaches to assess the divers, most of whom have had limited overseas training exposure prior to this event.
Bryan also expressed his satisfaction with Yong Rui Jie, who finished 10th with a score of 440.30.
“We have faith in our divers and believe they can achieve good results here in Brazil. Twenty years ago, I also won bronze here,” added Bryan. – November 26, 2024