LEONG Mun Yee is among the reasons why Malaysia is a force in Asian diving today.

Hand-picked when the Jaya ‘98 programme — aimed at making national athletes a force in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games — was launched in 1994, the then 10-yearold Mun Yee wasn’t to know just how far she would progress in the sport.

Now on the verge of her third, and probably last Olympics, the Ipohborn Mun Yee is looking for a minimal semi-final finish in Beijing.

She wants to aim higher but the awesome China divers stand in her, and the world’s way, in Beijing.

“Having qualified for my third Olympics, I really want to win a medal but I have to accept that my chances are, at the very best, minimal.

“But in saying that, I am not giving up as I will dive to my best and hopefully qualify for the 3m springboard semi-finals,” said Mun Yee, 24.

She qualified for the Olympics based on her seventh place finish in the 2007 World Championships and to prove just how dominant China are in diving, the top four places were all theirs.

“China are awesome but this is probably the last time for me at the Olympics. It has been a long road and I hope to achieve something spectacular at the end of it,” said Mun Yee, who returns with the other divers from a training stint in China today.

She goes into the Olympics as a double bronze medallist in the 2006 Doha Asian Games and double gold medallist in the 2007 Korat Sea Games.

The Olympics are at another a different level altogether but Mun Yee said the drive to excel is the same for all events.

“My strength is that I am able to be single-minded in whatever that I desire.

“In Korat, I was determined to defend the gold medals I won in 2005 and I did that.

“In the Asian Games, I desperately wanted a medal and won two. This is the drive that I will take to Beijing.”