Dato’ Pandelela Rinong keeps the Malaysian flag flying high by winning the bronze medal in the women’s 10 metre (m) platform at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary today.
The success saw Pandelela equaling her achievement at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia and improving her fifth position in the 2019 edition in Gwangju, South Korea.
In the finals which took place at the Duna Arena, the 29-year-old diver collected 338.85 points over a total of five dives to nail her podium finish.
The gold medal was seized by the 2019 world champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist, 16-year-old Chen Yuxi of China, with a total of 417.25 points. Meanwhile, silver went to her 15-year-old compatriot and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, Quan Hongchan, with a total of 416.95 points.
Pandelela, a gold medal winner of the 2021 World Cup diving tournament in Tokyo, was the most senior athlete in the women’s 10m platform event in Budapest.
She will compete in the women’s 10m platform synchronised event with her partner, Nur Dhabitah Sabri, this Thursday, in an effort to defend the silver medal which she had won with her previous partner, Datuk Leong Mun Yee, in 2019.
On the other hand, Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s 3m springboard event concluded in the qualifying round after Muhammad Syafiq Puteh and Chew Yiwei finished 35th and 51st out of a total of 55 divers respectively.
