Pandelela Aims To Train Smarter As She Gears Up To Qualify For Paris Olympics

From Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif

HANGZHOU, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- With age comes wisdom and that's why national diving queen Datuk Pandelela Rinong knows she has to train smarter and not harder as she gears up to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But that won't stop the 30-year-old elite diver from training as hard as she can and collaborating with various other parties to ensure she is in prime form to deliver quality dives and earn a spot in the Paris Olympics.

"I know that if were to focus on quantity, as in intensifying my training, I would be tired. I am aware that I am older, so I will try to focus on improving the quality of my dives instead,” she said when met at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Aquatic Sports Arena here.

Pandelela was in a buoyant mood after contributing two bronze medals to the national diving team at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games here, finishing third in the women's 10-metre (m) platform synchronised with Nur Dhabitah Sabri and the women's 10m platform.

Pandelela aims to seal her Olympic qualification when she competes in the 2023 Asian Diving Cup in November (venue not confirmed yet) and the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar next February.

Only 18-year-old Bertrand Rhodict Lises has qualified for the Paris Olympics, having earned a spot in the men's 10m platform event.

For the record, Pandelela clinched bronze in the women's 10 platform event at the 2012 London Olympics and silver in the women's 10m platform synchronised event with Cheong Jun Hoong in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

-- BERNAMA