KUALA LUMPUR: Pandelela Rinong wants to share her life story with Malaysians via a different platform.
To do so, the Olympic silver medallist will dive into the NFT (non-fungible token) realm.
Pandelela announced her intentions at a press conference at shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
However, this doesn't mean the 29-year-old Sarawakian is retiring from diving.
Pandelela said she is still very much active in the sport amid her new venture.
Today, Pandelela unveiled her exclusive NFT collectible "P.Zero1". From today until Aug 31, it is available for auction via the digital NFT market, OpenSea.
Fans will have the opportunity to bid to become the sole owner of "P.Zero1", which unlocks a priceless personalised experience with Pandelela. There will also be a framed printout of "P.Zero1", hand-delivered by Pandelela herself.
She created her own line of digital artworks as an expression of her professional and personal journey as an athlete.
"My vision for 'P.Zero1' is to share a piece of my story with the world that P stands for Pandelela while Zero1 is that from nothing, I am somebody today because of diving," she said.
"I also want to pay homage to the sport which has drastically changed my life from a young Bidayuh village girl to an internationally recognised sportswoman.
"The adage 'Zero to One' reflects the journey I went through as fate, perseverance, mental strength and dedication have taken me thus far, as well as this whole process of creating something radically new.
"It is an exciting phase for me, and it challenges me to learn and try new things. As they say, the sky is the limit and my message is for people to always strive for self discovery and growth with an unwavering commitment to their goals."
Pandelela revealed that she learned new skills to do something different during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I wanted to do something else besides diving and decided to venture into business. I was interested in having my own NFT as it is related to me as a sportswoman. And I am proud to be the first Olympian in Malaysia to do so.
"NFT is something new in Malaysia, and I want to share it with more Malaysian fans. I also want to create awareness among Malaysians in sports.
"I hope that from today until Aug 31, which is Merdeka Day, I will be able to gain as many fans as I can."
On her sporting career, Pandelela said: "I will continue to represent Malaysia in diving and I will return to training at Bukit Jalil tomorrow. My next competition is the KL Diving Grand Prix in November."
Pandelela, who did not win a medal at the recent Commonwealth Games, said: "I did not have a good outing in Birmingham. It happens in sports, sometimes you are just unlucky.
"I'm still recovering from injury but I hope to be in good form for next year's World Championships, which is an event to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"My main goal is to qualify for my fifth Olympics," said Pandelela who made her Olympics debut in 2008 in Beijing.
Safee Sali is the first Malaysian professional footballer to start his own NFT in June.
The 'P.Zero1' designs were done by Nicholas Chuan, a 20-year-old artist from Penang who worked hand-in-hand with Pandelela. Chuan also has a portfolio of illustrations for UEFA, Formula One's Red Bull, Liverpool and Bayern.