FORMER national coach Yang Zhuliang believes Cheong Jun Hoong will seal an Olympic spot in next month’s Diving World Cup in Tokyo.
The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) called off the trial on March 27 after international judges were unable to come due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Two-time Olympic medallist Pandelela Rinong will make way for former world champion Jun Hoong to compete along with Nur Dhabitah Sabri in the women’s 10m platform individual event in Tokyo.
Pandelela will focus on the platform synchro with Leong Mun Yee instead.
The Sarawak-born booked an Olympic spot in the individual event when she finished fifth at last year’s World Championships in South Korea.
Zhuliang welcomed the decision to allow Jun Hoong to fight for a chance to secure a third Olympic appearance in Tokyo.
“The World Cup is very important to Malaysia as this is the final competition to secure Olympic spots.
“So if Pandelela has already qualified, it’s best that Jun Hoong and Dhabitah be given the chance to take the other spot in the platform individual.
“Jun Hoong is training in Dongguan with me and I would say she is 85 per cent in terms of form compared to when she won the world title in 2017.
"She will be ready for the World Cup and fight for an Olympic slot. It's just that she needs more time for recovery from training because she is almost 30 now.
“I also do not put her to jump from the 10m height many times in a day as I do not want her to get injured again.
“She is doing between 10 and 15 dives from the 10m board each day and I thin k it's enough as she is also jumping from the 3m, 5m and 7m boards. She is also doing a lot of harness training.
“Jun Hoong is even training on Sunday and I can see she is very determined to make use of this chance. I believe, if she continues to show progress, she will win a medal at the World Cup,” said Zhuliang.
Asked whether Jun Hoong will return as scheduled on March 21 or continue training in China until the World Cup, Zhuliang said: “I will discuss this with NSC and Asum.”
Jun Hoong, a Rio Olympics silver medallist, has not competed in tournaments since June 2018 following a knee injury.