KUALA LUMPUR: After many seasons of highs and breakthroughs in diving, Malaysia will only be represented by one diver at the Paris Olympics this year.
This is a significant disappointment, especially considering Malaysia's history of producing world and Olympic medalists.
The decline in Malaysian diving can be attributed to various factors.
The departure of former national coach Yang Zhuliang in December 2017 created a leadership vacuum, impacting the development of new talent.
Additionally, the failure of Malaysia Swimming (MAS) to foster and nurture emerging divers has hindered the growth of the sport.
These combined challenges have contributed to the country's reduced representation at the Paris Olympics, highlighting the need for transparency and corrective measures from the Youth and Sports Ministry and relevant sports organisations.
Zhuliang had targetted Malaysia's first gold at the Tokyo Olympics but his contract was not renewed due to several reasons.
The concerned parties should have hired a reputable replacement to coach the national elite and junior divers instead of relying on unknowns after his departure.
Bertrand Rhodict Lises will be the sole diver representing Malaysia in Paris. He secured his men's 10m individual platform spot at last year's World Aquatics Championships in Japan.
Malaysia's subdued outing concluded today, as Enrique Harold Maccartney and Jellson Jabillin fell short of securing Olympic spots in the individual platform at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Reigning Sea Games champion Enrique seemed poised for the top-18 semi-finals but stumbled in his fourth dive, earning 340.40 points, placing him in 27th position.
Jellson recorded 318.10 points, landing him five positions below Enrique.