KUALA LUMPUR: Diver Syafiq Puteh won a silver medal in the men's 3m springboard at the Malaysia Open, but he was traumatised by a shocking injury to Ooi Tze Liang at the National Aquatics Centre in Bukit Jalil today.
As Syafiq waited for his third dive, he saw national teammate Tze Liang's head hitting the springboard, leaving him bleeding from the forehead.
"This was the first time I've seen something like this. We usually see minor foot injuries, but not this.
"The springboard is unforgiving, and after witnessing that, my momentum was completely disrupted," said a visibly shaken Syafiq.
"I thought he had just scraped his foot, but then I saw him emerge from the pool holding his forehead, blood streaming down."
Though shaken, Syafiq managed a commendable score of 337.80 points, but it wasn't enough to surpass New Zealand's Frazer Tavener who claimed gold with 340.05. Liam Stone, also from New Zealand, bagged bronze with 222.85.
Malaysia Swimming honorary secretary Andy Low said Tze Liang was taken to a hospital.
"Our medical team acted swiftly, applying pressure to his wound with a bandage," said Andy.
"We're awaiting a full medical report and the result of his head scan."
Andy said the incident might psychologically affect Tze Liang, who was attempting a new dive, the forward three-and-a-half somersault at the time.
"We will seek advice from the National Sports Institute regarding his recovery and the next steps," said Andy.
In other events, Pandelela Rinong won the women's 10m platform gold with 252.80 points. Japan's Karen Yamasaki (218.30) and Singapore's Megan Yow (208.10) finished second and third respectively.