Bryan given six-month study break and will miss Barcelona meet
KUALA LUMPUR: Diminutive platform diver Bryan Nickson Lomas (pic) will be out of competition for six months.
Head coach Yang Zhuliang said Bryan, 23, would be granted leave to concentrate on his sports science studies at Universiti Malaya.
“He has remained stuck in his first year of studies because of his competition commitment. It is only fair to give him a chance to progress in the academic field,” said Zhuliang.
“He has had to postpone his studies for the last two years because of the Olympic qualifying process and then the main competition itself. Bryan will take time off for the first half of the year to focus on his studies,” he added.
Without training, Zhuliang said Bryan, a former world junior champion and two-time Olympian, would likely miss the World Championships in Barcelona in July.
“He doesn’t have enough time to prepare for the championships.
“Bryan may still get a place alongside Huang Qiang for the men’s 3m springboard synchro for the Diving World Series starting in March. But I can replace him with another junior diver.
“The qualifying deadline is until the end of this month and the country can choose to field another pairing when it comes to synchro. This is unlike the individual discipline where if you qualify, you have to go,” said Zhuliang.
Zhuliang added that missing out on the World Championships would not harm Bryan’s chances of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“This year’s World Championships is not really important compared to the next one in 2015 which is an Olympic qualifying event.
“Bryan has been described by the coaches as having very good skills for a diver. I believe he will be ready for the challenges when he returns to the pool. He should be back in training in the second half of the year and aim for the Myanmar SEA Games,” added Zhuliang.