KUCHING: Elvis Priestley Anak Clement was ready to rock, with his family cheering him on, at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) diving pool today.
Elvis turned out to be on song in the men's 3m springboard at the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre in Petra Jaya.
But it wasn't easy for Elvis as he had to stage a come-from-behind win.
After three dives, he was trailing his national backup squad teammate, Yong Rui Jie, from Federal Territories (FT)
But dive four was a poor one from Rui Jie who scored only 43.50 points. And Elvis hit the high notes by delivering three solid dives to win gold with a total of 415.15.
Rui Jie scored 388.80 for silver whilst his FT teammate, Nurqayyum Nazmi Nazim, posted 377.65 for bronze.
"I'm very satisfied with my performance because I defeated my national backup squad teammates.
"I was extra motivated to do well as I received words of encouragement from my family who were here to see me compete for the first time.
"They live in Kota Samarahan, and it's not often they get to see me compete, especially if it is outside of Sarawak. They told me to do my best, and don't feel nervous.
"That gave me the boost," said the 18-year-old Iban.
Elvis said he was able to stage a comeback by keeping a positive mental state.
"It was still early in the competition, and there were many opportunities for me to overtake my rivals.
"I didn't see Rui Jie make his mistake because I didn't want that to influence how I execute my next dives," added Elvis who promised his family that he would win three gold medals at this Sukma.
A total of 14 divers took part in the competition.