No risk taking for diver Jun Hoong on the platform.
Jun Hoong can’t dive deeply into training yet
PETALING JAYA: Cheong Jun Hoong can’t afford to get injured again as it will mean a premature end to her Olympic outings.
Hence the diving world champion is not rushing to get into the pool although she is into her second week of training in the Road to Tokyo training camp in Bukit Jalil.
With age not on her side, the 30-year-old will not be available for the next Olympics in 2024. And she now hopes to get a good result at the Diving World Cup in Tokyo in February next year to seal her spot.
The Rio Olympics silver medallist has been keeping herself busy with basic training drills in the dry gym under former national coach Yang Zhuliang.
Athletes get to train two sessions a day in quarantine-like conditions as the government eases on sporting activities under the relaxed movement control order until Aug 31.
“Since there is no competition this year, I guess I will take it slow and steady because I’ve already stopped training for three months,” said Jun Hoong, who bagged gold in the 10m platform individual at the World Aquatics Championships in Hungary in 2017.
“I’m now focusing on muscle strengthening and gaining stamina. I can’t go in and dive straight away as it will put me at risk of getting injured again.”
She is hoping to make a comeback after a two-year enforced break to recover from her knee surgeries.
The recurring injuries saw her miss the Indonesia Asian Games and forced her to go under the knife to salvage her career.
Jun Hoong had been training under Zhuliang in China since December and had to return home after Malaysia closed its borders due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
On the controlled movement in place in Bukit Jalil, Jun Hoong just shrugged it off. “It’s the same situation when we train in China. It’s best not to take any risks.”