KUALA LUMPUR: National diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri was all smiles when she learnt that she secured a ticket to the Paris Olympics, which will take place from July 26 to Aug 11.
Malaysia received an additional quota slot for the games from World Aquatics on Friday.
Dhabitah, who was unable to secure direct Olympic qualification at the last two editions of the world championships, will now be able to represent Malaysia in the women's 3m springboard individual event in Paris.
"I was hoping for a slot but I did not expect to get it. I am so grateful and happy, I don't know what to say," Dhabitah told TV3 today.
"I had continued to train as usual while waiting to know whether I would get a spot or not.
"I have managed to improve myself in training, though there is still room for improvement from a technical perspective."
Dhabitah, 24, is careful about how she is managing her expectations.
Paris will be her third appearance at the Olympics, after Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
"I don't want to set my hopes too high or too low. I just want to take things one step at a time," said Dhabitah.
"I hope to be in the top 10 in Paris. I will try my best at each stage."
Dhabitah will join Bertrand Rhodict Lises in Paris. The latter secured qualification in the men's 10m platform individual at last year's Fukuoka World Championships.
Dhabitah is expected to join Rhodict Lises for a two-week training camp in the United Kingdom next month to allow them to acclimatise to the weather in Europe before heading for Paris.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) today confirmed that Dhabitah, as well as swimmers Khiew Hoe Yean (men's 400m freestyle) and Tan Rouxin (women's 100m breaststroke), will compete in Paris.
Malaysia received two universality places — better known as wildcards 0 — for swimming. Malaysia Aquatics selected Hoe Yean and Rouxin to fill the slots.