Pandelela pulls out of pet event, Malaysia sink to new low at World C'ships
PETALING JAYA: All good things must come to an end. And for two-time Olympic medallist diver Pandelela Rinong, the Singapore edition of the World Championships is for sure a forgettable trip.
The 32-year-old made the hard but otherwise necessary decision to withdraw from the women's 10m platform preliminary competition yesterday to avoid putting strain on her shoulder injury.
An old shoulder injury had flared up just before the start of the 10m platform synchro on Monday, forcing the Sarawak-born diver to pull out from the event where she was slated to partner youngster Lee Yiat Qing.
"With a heavy heart but a clear mind, I made the difficult decision to withdraw from the women's 10m platform individual preliminary event," said Pandelela on her social media account.
"This decision comes after careful consideration of my current condition. My left shoulder injury has not recovered enough for me to compete safely and at my best.
"I am truly grateful for all the kind messages and concern for my well-being. I promise to take better care of my body as I focus on healing and preparing for the next opportunity to represent Malaysia.''
It's the first time Pandelela has to sit out her pet event at the world meet since she made a memorable debut at the 2009 edition in Rome with a fifth-place finish and a bronze with Datuk Leong Mun Yee in the platform synchro event.
Pandelela has since gone on to win a total of seven medals - one silver and six bronze - in the World Championships so far.
And Pandelela can only watch on as Malaysia sank to a new low in the world meet yesterday.
Yiat Qing, the only Malaysian in the fray, missed out on the semi-finals after finishing 29th with 240.20 points.
Yiat Qing started well by earning 67.50 points with her opening dive to place second overall in the field.
But two subsequent poor attempts, which only earned her 33.35 and 33.75 points, saw her plummet down the standings.
And the reigning SEA Games champion watched in dismay as Singapore managed to place a diver in the top 18 semi-finals for the first time.
14-year-old Ainslee Kwang was the pride of the host nation as she booked her place in the semis today after finishing 13th with 285.00 points.
In swimming, Khiew Hoe Yean clocked 50.77s to place 50th in the men's 100m freestyle heats.
Jayden Tan finished 40th overall in the men's 200m individual medley heats with a time of 2:07.07s.
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