Dhabitah has her work cut out ahead of C’wealth Games

PETALING JAYA: Nur Dhabitah Sabri ( pic) will be scrambling against time to get things right before the Commonwealth Games after failing to impress for the second straight week at the Diving World Series (DWS) second leg in Fuji, Japan.

The Games in Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4-15 is just two weeks away.

The 18-year-old failed to get into the women’s 3m springboard individual final yesterday as she finished fourth with 288.75 points in the semi-final A.

Dhabitah missed the top-three cut for the six-woman final by 34.50 points.

The event was won by China’s Shi Tingmao, also the winner of last week’s season-opening leg in Beijing.

The reigning world and Olympic champion posted a 388.05 total for the gold, followed by compatriot Wang Han (359.30) and Russia’s Kristina Ilinykh (326.15).

The uninspiring result is not what Dhabitah has been looking for before the Commonwealth Games.

She reached the final in Beijing but failed to rise to the occasion when it mattered most and finished last in the six-diver contest.

Dhabitah showed her potential by finishing 10th at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, last year, earning her an invitation to the DWS on merit.

She must buck up if she harbours hopes of a podium finish and performing better than the likes of Canadian duo Jennifer Abel and Pamela Ware, Australia’s Esther Qin and Grace Reid of Britain in Gold Coast.

The prestigious DWS comprises four legs.

The next two stops are in Montreal, Canada ( April 27- 29), and Kazan, Russia (May 5-6).

Malaysia completed the first two legs with a silver and a bronze, both won by Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hoong in the women’s 10m platform synchro.

RESULTS

Men’s 10m platform final: 1. Lian Junjie (Chn) 535.15, 2. Yang Jian (Chn) 524.10, 3. Benjamin Auffret (Fra) 495.70.

Women’s 3m springboard final: 1. Shi Tingmao (Chn) 388.05, 2. Wang Han (Chn) 359.30, 3. Kristina Ilinykh (Rus) 326.15.

Mixed 3m springboard synchro: 1. Wang Han-Li Zheng (Chn) 328.50, 2. Grace Reid-Tom Daley (Gbr) 299.25, 3. Nadezhda Bazhina-Nikita Shleikher (Rus) 299.10.