Young divers Yiat Qing and Enrique won't get chance to defend titles at SEA Games
PETALING JAYA: In a major surprise, diving talents Lee Yiat Qing and Enrique Harold Maccartney will not get the chance to win back-to-back SEA Games gold medals for Malaysia in December.
Yiat Qing and Enrique joined seasoned diver Pandelela Rinong on the sidelines as Malaysia bank on a relatively inexperienced squad to maintain their dominance in the sport.
Pandelela's lingering injury put paid to the younger Yiat Qing's chances to make a second SEA Games appearance in the women's 10m platform synchro event.
Yiat Qing was paired off with Pandelela a few months back to prepare for the women's 10m platform synchro event.
It is the only event for women's diving while the men's action s will see contests in the 1m and 3m springboard individual, and 3m springboard synchro.
Yiat Qing was only 15 when she made her SEA Games debut by winning gold in the women's 10m platform individual at the Cambodia SEA Games in 2023 and she was subsequently promoted to the Podium programme this year.
Enrique claimed gold for Malaysia in the men's 10m platform individual but has to miss the SEA Games this time as the event has not been included by the Thailand organisers despite appeals from numerous countries.
Nur Eilisha Rania and Nurul Farisya Alia Affendi will shoulder the challenge for gold in the women's 10m platform synchro.
"Pandelela's shoulder injury has not improved and we have to exclude Yiat Qing for the SEA Games as there is no individual platform this time," said diving technical director Yeoh Ken Nee.
"Rania and Farisya are the second ranked pair behind Pandelela-Yiat Qing in the women's 10m platform synchro and gold medallists for Sarawak in the event at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) last year.
"Rania and Farisya finished second and are not far off from Pandelela-Yiat Qing in the national trials, so hopefully they can get their act together at the SEA Games.''
Nur Eilisha and Nurul, together with Elvis Priestly Anak Clement, are going under category B while defending men's 3m springboard champion Mohd Syafiq Puteh will compete under category A along with debutants Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohd Nazim and Yong Rui Jie.
Elvis was Malaysia's best individual performer at the World Championships in Singapore recently when he reached the semi-finals (top 18) of the men's 10m platform individual.
But Elvis will have to see action in the men's 3m springboard this time.
"It is not confirmed yet as to who will compete in what events for the springboard divers,'' added Ken Nee.
"We do have a tough fight going on for the gold medals this time, especially from Singapore but we will try our best to continue the good results."
The last time Malaysia did not finish with a clean sweep in diving was at the 2017 SEA Games.
Malaysia bagged a total of 13 gold medals but had to surrender the women's 3m springboard synchro title to Singapore after Wendy Ng Yan Yee committed a doping violation.
In Cambodia, Malaysia won a total of four gold, two silver and one bronze medals.
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