A perfect present
Diver Mun Yee picked as flag-bearer for Asean University Games
KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Mun Yee turned 28 on Tuesday – and there was a pleasant surprise awaiting her.
She has been selected as the flagbearer for the Malaysian contingent to the Asean University Games in Laos next week.
The 306-strong Malaysian contingent will be aiming for a top three overall finish in the biennial Games from Dec 12-20 and expectations are high on sports like athletics, archery, swimming and diving.
The Ipoh-born Mun Yee will dive in the 10m platform individual along with London Olympics bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong.
It will be the first competition for both divers since the Olympics and Mun Yee can’t wait to get back into action.
“I’ve never been the flag-bearer for the contingent at any multi Games, so it’s an honour for me to be picked,” she said.
The 10m platform title will be Malaysia’s to lose as the two Olympians are a class above everyone else and should make it a one-two finish.
There are no synchro disciplines in the Games.
However, Mun Yee does not want to be too optimistic.
“I’m not sure of my chances as the intensity of my training is not as high as it was when we were preparing for the Olympics. My training sessions have been reduced as I have to catch up on my university classes.
“I also do not know who my competitors are in Vientiane,” said Mun Yee, who has been diving for the country since the 1999 SEA Games in Brunei.
Mun Yee, who is pursuing a course in Mass Communications in Universiti Putra Malaysia, is the only Malaysian woman athlete to have competed in four Olympics so far.
And she does not plan to quit the sport yet.
“I intend to resume my studies after the London Olympics but I do not want to give up diving yet,” she said.
And what about her birthday wish – “I hope to be wiser as I grow older.”
For the Asean University Games, the divingsquadwill also see Malaysia fielding national divers Bryan Nickson Lomas, Cheong Jun Hoong andWendy Ng Yan Yee in the hope of making a clean sweep of all six individual gold medals at stake (1m and 3m springboard and 10m platform for men and women).