Diving: Malaysia's rivals catching up
National diving technical director Yeoh Ken Nee, who raised the alarm, said the rivals from neighbouring countries are already executing dives of a higher Degree of Difficulty (DD), as seen at the recent SEA Age Group Championships in Singapore.
Despite emerging as overall champions with 13 gold, eight silver and four bronze at the SEA Championships, Malaysia would face strong opposition at the 2027 Sea Games if the trend continues. Singapore were second (eight gold, five silver, four bronze) and Vietnam were third (two gold, seven silver, nine bronze).
"I'm satisfied that we achieved our target by emerging overall champions. However, we must be cautious. The DD of our neighbours is higher than ours," said Ken Nee.
"We will be hosting the Sea Games in 2027, and if their divers continue to improve, they could very well win gold on our home turf."
Ken Nee said he will meet with national coaching staff to devise a plan to address the matter.
"Our divers won (in Singapore) because they were more consistent, but to progress internationally, we must raise our DD."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
Time's tight, but he's not uptight
In race for medals: National sprinters Khairul Hafiz Jantan (left) and Mohd Haikal Hanafi. PETALING JAYA: The SEA Games in Thailand may be just five months away, but newly appointed national athletics head coach Manshahar Abdul Jalil is confident that there is still enough time to get the squad ready for the regional challenge. Although he has yet to be officially appointed, Manshahar has already begun his duties two weeks ago, with most national athletes currently training at Universiti Putra Malaysia's (UPM) Sports Centre in Serdang.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Hannah urges sports associations to settle internal issues before SEA Games
KOTA BARU: Sports associations are urged to immediately resolve any internal issues that may arise before the SEA Games in Thailand from Dec 7-19. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said early resolution of the matter is very important so that it would not affect the focus and preparations of the national athletes. Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters. RM12.33/month RM8.63/month Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters. Free Trial For new subscribers only
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Minister urges sports associations to settle squabbles ahead of SEA Games
KOTA BARU: Sports associations are urged to immediately resolve any internal issues that may arise before the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, scheduled from Dec 7 to 19. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said early resolution of the matter is very important so that it would not affect the focus and preparations of the country's athletes who will compete on the international stage. "Currently, all preparations are underway, so I would like to call on all sports associations if there are any internal issues, to resolve them immediately to ensure the smooth running and spirit of the national team is not affected. "We know that time is running out before the SEA Games in Thailand later this year. Therefore, we hope that the country's athletes can take full advantage of this opportunity as preparation for the next Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2027 and the Olympic Games expected to be held in 2028," she said. She told Bernama after officiating the Youth Camp @ Rakan Prihatin 2025, at Pantai Cahaya Bulan, here today, which was also attended by the Ministry of Youth and Sports secretary-general, Datuk Dr Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu and National Youth and Sports Department director-general, Azura Abidin. Meanwhile, commenting on the appointment of Abdul Rashid Yaakub as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Secretariat of the Malaysian SEA Games (MASOC) and the 2027 Asean Para Games Organisers, Hannah said the appointment is very appropriate based on his extensive experience in the world of sports in the country. "Abdul Rashid has a strong background in the National Sports Council (MSN), including "his role during the organisation of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, and he has also worked with several other states such as Sarawak. So, we are confident that he understands the ins and outs and challenges of managing large-scale sporting events," she said. Abdul Rashid, 61, who is also the former director-general of MSN, officially assumed the position of CEO of MASOC and Para Asean 2027 on July 1 and will lead the main secretariat responsible for coordinating all aspects of preparations for the regional biennial games. – BERNAMA
