WENDY Ng is eager to make a statement at the Philippines Sea Games later this month. The 26-year-old wants to make amends after she was stripped of two gold medals at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games after testing positive for sibutramine. She was subsequently banned for eight months.
Yesterday, Wendy warmed up for the Sea Games with a bronze effort in the Kuala Lumpur leg of the Fina Diving Grand Prix at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil.
The Kuala Lumpur-born earned 306.55 points in the women’s 3m springboard individual, finishing behind China’s gold medallist Huang Xiaohui (359.40) and silver medallist Lin Shan (330.90).
Wendy said she was more concerned about Japan’s Sayaka Mikami during the event.
Sayaka finished fourth with 303.80.
“I was not worried about the Chinese divers as they are always on top of their game. I was more concerned about the Japanese diver who could have denied me the bronze,” said Wendy, who has already qualified for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
“I didn’t do well in my fourth dive but I am happy to win a medal. My condition here is also not good as I am carrying a muscle injury.
“However, I am going through treatment and should be ready for the Sea Games. I leave it to the coaches to decide my events.”
Wendy will likely compete in the springboard individual and synchro (with Nur Dhabitah Sabri) events at the Philippines Sea Games.
The other Sea Games-bound divers are Jasmine Lai and Loh Ziayi.
Malaysia won their second gold in the competition through Chew Yiwei-Ooi Tze Liang in the men’s springboard synchro event. The pair scored 410.61 points to finish ahead of China’s silver medallists Tai Xiaohu-Zhang Chao (387.15) and bronze medallists Alexis Jandard-Gwendal Bisch of France (374.94).
On Friday, Tze Liang won Malaysia’s first gold in the springboard individual.
In the men’s 10m platform synchro, Jellson Jabillin-Hanis Nazirul Jaya Surya (365.10) finished second behind China’s Duan Yu-Wang Zewei (404.37) while Japan’s Reo Noshida-Shunta Kaneko took third on 344.17.