DIVING: Pandelela in with chance for medal
PANDELELA Rinong emulated Yeoh Ken Nee by making a final at the London Olympics but the Malaysian was attempting to go one better than her compatriot by winning a medal in the 10m platform late yesterday.
Pandelela qualified in fifth place but with the 12 divers starting from scratch in the final, the 19-year-old had a good chance of finishing among the medals.
Her five dives in the semi-finals gave Pandelela a total 352.50 points, which was within touching distance of second-placed Meaghan Benfeito of Canada who scored 359.90.
Third and fourth were Australians Britanny Broben (359.55) and Melissa Wu (355.60). China's Chen Ruolin was in a class of her own, scoring 407.25 to win the semi-final.
Pandelela, appearing in her third and final event at the Olympics, would have also been boosted by her first-round performance on Wednesday, where she finished second behind Ruolin.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games 10m platform champion scored a total 349.00 points to Ruolin's 392.35. Bryan Nickson Lomas will be the last Malaysian in action at the Olympics when he competes in the 10m platform first round. Bryan, appearing in his third Olympics, will be looking to emulate Ken Nee and Pandelela by making the final.
