PSC enlists Chinese coach for Filipino divers

IN THE doldrums for quite some time, Philippine diving was given a timely boost when the Philippine Sports Commission recently hired a foreign coach for the team.

Xiaofeng Cui, who won medals for China in continental meets during her prime, was enlisted by the government sports agency to pump life into a stagnant program after the country took a nosedive in the past two editions of the Southeast Asian Games.

Xiaofeng signed a one-year contract with the PSC where the 33-year-old from Chaozhou City, Guandong, would be paid $3,000 a month, including living allowances.

She will be tasked to rejuvenate a gold-winning agenda that failed to capture a medal in the 2013 Burma (Myanmar) and 2015 Singapore Games.

“I’ve started laying down the program for the team and hopefully we can see improvements as we go along,” said Xiaofeng through an interpreter in the presence of PSC executive director Guillermo Iroy.

Jaime Asok’s double-silver performance in the 2011 Palembang Games with Niño Carog in the 3m men’s synchronized springboard and Rexel Fabriga in the 10m synchronized platform were the last podium finishes for Filipino divers.

Xiaofeng coached Burma three years ago when Burmese divers seized a silver and bronze in the women’s 10m platform event.

Sheila Mae Perez, a triple-gold performer in the 2005 Manila Games, provided the Philippines its last gold medal in 2007 Thailand when she ruled the women’s 3m springboard.

The pair of Asok and Fabriga also claimed the gold in the men’s 10m synchronized platform in the same meet.