Bryan gives juniors a boost

putting Malaysia on the world map during his competitive days, diving great Bryan Nickson Lomas is now doing his part to help develop the sport at grassroots level in the country.

Bryan, via his sports equipment company, Ardi Sports Sdn Bhd, is co-organising the Selangor Age Group championships with the Selangor Amateur Swimming Union. The event is being run with financial support from the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

The tournament will be held at the Darul Ehsan Aquatics Centre in Shah Alam today and is set to feature over 50 divers from Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Perak, who will compete in under-12 and under-17 categories.

Bryan, who is the first Malaysian to win a world junior championship title in the sport, said the event is intended to bridge the gap between elite junior diving competitions and those for newcomers.

“The National Sports Council (NSC) has done a great job to organise a number of age group tournaments for younger divers in the past and we intend to supplement their development efforts with this competition,” said Bryan.

“This competition is targeted more towards the beginners who might not yet be good enough to compete in tournaments such as those organised by NSC.

“This includes those who are only able to perform a straight dive or other basic techniques.

“The number of children involved in diving has increased over the years and we believe providing them with more chances to compete will help them get used to a competitive environment.”

Since retiring in May 2013, Bryan briefly coached the Selangor team before furthering his studies. Last year he secured a master’s degree in sports administration from the Russian International Olympic University.