In sync and on song
Pandelela and Jun Hoong prove perfect partners on the platform
DIVERS Pandelela Rinong-Cheong Jun Hoong, as expected, lived up to their reputations as they delivered gold in the women’s 10m platform synchro event.
The Olympic silver medallists kept their cool as they led from start to finish for a total of 328.08 points at the Optus Aquatic Centre yesterday.
Canada’s Meaghan Benfeito-Caeli McKay was a distant second with 312.12.
And the win was made even sweeter as Malaysia’s second pair – Leong Mun Yee-Nur Dhabitah Sabri – produced a massive last dive to pip Australia’s Teju Williamson-Melissa Wu for the bronze.
Mun Yee-Dhabitah, who were fourth after four rounds, came up with a huge 74.88 points – their best on the night – for a total of 308.16 while Williamson-Wu finished with 307.80.
It was certainly a great finish for Mun YeeDhabitah who had earlier settled for bronze in the 3m springboard synchro.
“I never really expected to get a medal in the 3m event. We were never contenders and to get a medal even though we didn’t dive well is great,” said Dhabitah.
“And I’m pleased to finish with a second medal on the day too. We were trailing and I was starting to give up after four dives but I managed to focus on one final dive.”
The day, however, belonged to PandelelaJun Hoong who delivered Malaysia’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in synchro.
Malaysia has previously only won gold medals in the individual events – Pandelela in the 10m platform (2010) and Ooi Tze Liang in the 3m springboard (2014).
“I’m delighted with the win and I’m also happy with our synchronisation,” said Pandelela.
“Looking at our training, we weren’t doing so great but we managed to perform well on the night and a lot of it is down to my partner.
“We’ve trained in synchro a lot last year and we’ve always hoped to stand on top of the podium. We’ve finally managed to get that result.”
For Jun Hoong, it is also her first-ever medal at the Games.
And the reigning 10m platform individual world champion cannot be happier with the effort.
“I’m happy and blessed to finally win my first medal at the Games. I think our performance was great tonight even though it was windy and it was down to Pandelela being an excellent partner,” said Jun Hoong.
With this gold, Pandelela-Jun Hoong have maintained their perfect record on the podium this year.
The World Championships bronze medallists took silver at the World Series in Beijing and followed it up with a bronze in Shizuoka, Japan, in February.