Pandelela home for birthday celebration
KUCHING: As the first female Malaysian to win an Olympic medal, Pandelela Rinong is a source of pride to Malaysians, especially the Bidayuh community. To celebrate her achievement and her 23rd birthday, the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) hosted a thanksgiving dinner at Awah Café, DBNA headquarters here on Wednesday night.
The event was also organised to offer best wishes for her upcoming challenge in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Pandelela, who is from Kampung Jugan in Bau, is also the first Malaysian to qualify on merit for the Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5-21.
“I just got back from Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 FINA Diving World Cup. I am here for three days and my itinerary includes training sessions at the Sarawak Aquatics Centre and this thanksgiving dinner.
“I am blessed to be with the Bidayuh community here, including my parents who will join me to Rio and watch me compete live at the Olympics, offering prayers in hope for everyone's success,” she said.
On this trip back home, Pandelela was accompanied by Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) secretary Mae Chen, national diving head coach Yang Zhuliang and fellow national divers Leong Mun Yee, Cheong Jun Hoong, Ahmad Amsyar, Wendy Ng, Ooi Tze Liang, Chew Yiwei, Muhammad Syafiq, Joey Loh, and Dhabitah Sabri.
She also spoke on the run-up to the Rio Olympics thus far.
“I am always ready for the Olympics, but before that, I need to go to several other competitions including the Diving World Series in Beijing this March 6 and three other venues for the Series before I can go to Rio. I am now focusing on my synchronised diving and will continue to polish my techniques and skills prior to the competition,” she explained.
“The divers that I am going to compete with at the Olympics are all strong rivals and I cannot under-estimate them. All I can do is to give my best and do as what I did during training and just pray that everything goes smoothly and hope that my best dive will impress the judges to give me high marks.”
She is currently also in the media limelight after been nominated for the 2016 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for the Favourite Asian Sports Star category.
“I learnt about this nomination two months ago. I hope that I can do my best to get votes and win the title,” said Pandelela who is up against three other sports stars, namely basketball player Jeron Teng (the Philippines) and footballers Kim Kurniawan (Indonesia) and Irfan Fandi (Singapore). Fans can vote for Pandelela Rinong by visiting http://kca.nick-asia.com.
Ruminating on the foreseeable future, Pandelela said that she is currently “continuing my passion in diving and trying to complete my studies in Sports Science (at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur) in two years' time.”
At Wednesday's thanksgiving dinner, Pandelela received RM10,000 as a birthday gift from Putra Sentosa Group of Companies chief executive officer Dato Henry Harry Jinep. He also promised her a RM50,000 reward if she returns from Rio with an Olympic gold medal.
Also attending the event were DBNA president Datu Ik Pahon Joyik, DBNA Women chief Nancy Mongin, Pandelela's father Pamg Joheng and mother Hartini Lamim.
I am always ready for the Olympics. — Pandelela Rinong, national diver