KUALA LUMPUR: The prima donnas of Malaysian diving are destroying the great legacy left behind by former national coach Yang Zhuliang.
Since Zhuliang’s departure under controversial circumstances, Malaysian diving has failed to shine under the current coaches — Christian Brooker and Li Teng.
Zhuliang’s contract was not extended by the Sports Ministry after it expired in December, 2017 following complaints by several divers in the national squad.
Zhuliang was blamed by the Sports Ministry following a report conducted by an independent body, who interviewed the divers and others for allowing a “culture and environment of fear” in the national team. Zhuliang denied the accusation.
Under Zhuliang, regarded as the “Father of Malaysian diving”, the national divers achieved many significant firsts by winning medals at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Series.
Malaysian diving’s most notable success under Zhuliang was Cheong Jun Hoong winning the World Championship gold in 2017 in Budapest.
No Malaysian has ever done that before. Jun Hooong upstaged China’s world famous divers to win the women’s 10m platform individual gold.
It was a remarkable feat, considering that Malaysia only took the sport seriously in the mid-1990s.
Following Jun Hoong’s triumph, Zhuliang promised that he would groom a diver to win an Olympic gold in Tokyo next year.
Unfortunately, he never had the chance to do so following the Sports Ministry’s decision not to renew his contract.
The successes achieved by Zhuliang with his divers can be regarded as phenomenal, considering that diving’s grassroots development in most of the states is non-existent.
Zhuliang’s abrupt departure was reported worldwide, and it painted an ugly picture of Malaysian diving.
Many top China coaches are now hesitant to accept offers in Malaysia due to the issue that has led to the removal of Zhuliang.
A source told NST Sport that Zhuliang was a victim of circumstances and he was ousted for being too strict with the “superstars” in the national team. These prima donnas, it seems, just did not want to continue training hard for success.
Sure, Zhuliang is a no-nonsense coach, but his regimented training, similar to that used by coaches in China, has produced the desired results over the years.
Since he left, there have been all sorts of issues — from divers getting drunk during centralised training, which was widely reported last year during their stint in China, to a prima donna diver using her influence with the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia to “book” a spot in the team for next year’s Olympics.
If this indiscipline continues, and officials continue to give in to the demands of these prima donnas, diving in Malaysia will return to the sad old days where our divers were not even good enough to win gold at Sea Games level.
Zhuliang, who has turned down offers from powerhouses China and Australia, does not want to return as a national coach unless there is a new set-up.
A close friend of Zhuliang claimed that the coach, who still visits Kuala Lumpur regularly, will only return if the “superstar divers” are not around anymore and that the concerned parties give him undivided support.
Evidently, Zhuliang is still passionate about Malaysian diving. He wants to contribute to the sport here but he does not want to return if things do not improve.
Although Malaysian divers still won medals at last year’s World Series, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, there are already telling signs that they are not on the right track to winning an Olympic gold next year.