WENDY Ng is a true fighter. Despite her countless battles with injuries and the humiliation of being banned for eight months for doping, the diver produced a sterling performance to qualify for her third Olympics yesterday.
The 26-year-old made the cut for next year’s Tokyo Games after reaching the final of the women’s 3m springboard individual at the World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
Wendy garnered 288.60 points from five dives to finish 10th in the semi-finals.
The top 12 finishers in the semi-finals, who were all assured of slots at the Tokyo Olympics, will battle for medals today.
It will be Wendy’s third Olympic appearance after London (2012) and Rio (2016).
She is the second Malaysian after Pandelela Rinong to make the Olympic cut for individual events.
Wendy reached the semi-finals after finishing 12th (279.30) in the preliminaries earlier in the day.
Nur Dhabitah Sabri, who took bronze in the London leg of the World Series two months ago, surprisingly missed the cut for the semis after finishing 25th (249.05).
Wendy only started diving again in May following a nine-month absence to recover from a shoulder operation.
Last year, she returned in April after serving an eight-month doping ban. She tested positive for sibutramine, a stimulant commonly found in slimming products, during the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games.
“It was difficult returning after nine months. I spent a lot of time trying to regain my confidence and skills in training leading up to the world meet.
“I feel relieved to have achieved my target here. Frankly, it was a very difficult journey for me en route to earning an Olympic spot here.
“I want to thank everyone, including my coaches, for making this possible.
“With no pressure heading into tomorrow’s final, I will just execute my normal routines,” said Wendy in Gwangju yesterday.
Meanwhile, Jellson Jabillin will be hoping to upset the odds when he competes in the preliminary round of the men’s 10m platform individual today.
The team will end their campaign in the mixed 3m springboard synchro (Syafiq Puteh-Dhabitah) tomorrow.