KUALA LUMPUR: The year 2024 marked a sobering reality for Malaysian diving, with its once highly regarded training and development programmes hitting unprecedented lows.
From being ranked No. 2 in Asia behind China, the national diving team's decline was starkly evident at this year's Olympics. Malaysia, which once boasted strong representation at the Olympics, had only two divers — Bertrand Rhodict and Nur Dhabitah Sabri — in Paris.
The qualification process itself tells a concerning story. Bertrand was the only diver to qualify on merit, while seasoned campaigners including two-time Olympic medallist Pandelela Rinong, Wendy Ng, Ooi Tze Liang and Syafiq Puteh, failed to make the cut. Dhabitah secured her third Olympic appearance through a wildcard.
In Paris, despite limited preparation, Dhabitah reached her second consecutive final in the 3m springboard. However, her 12th placing was a far cry from her impressive fourth place at Tokyo 2020.
Bertrand, despite showing promise with a top-10 finish at the 2023 World Championships in Japan, placed 25th in the 10m platform, failing to advance to the semi-finals.
Malaysia's decline is particularly striking, given its rich history. At London 2012, the country secured 10 of 12 possible quotas with nine divers. By Tokyo 2020, this had dwindled to just five quotas, signaling the beginning of a downward spiral.
The golden era of Malaysian diving was built on solid foundations. The Jaya 98 programme produced world-class talent like Yeoh Ken Nee and Leong Mun Yee. Under legendary coach Yang Zhu Liang, the team reached new heights — Pandelela claimed Malaysia's first Olympic diving medal, a bronze in London 2012 and Cheong Jun Hoong became world champion in 2017. At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Pandelela partnered with Jun Hoong for silver in the 10m platform synchro.
Now, with former international Bryan Nickson Lomas as technical director, the team face an uphill battle to qualify more divers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Though Olympic medals may seem distant now, Malaysia Aquatics must focus on rebuilding its foundation.
A glimmer of hope emerged at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Rio de Janeiro, where Nurqayyum Nazmi Nazim claimed bronze in the 3m springboard — Malaysia's first medal at this level in 18 years. The team's overall performance, with 10 finals appearances and top-10 finishes in five events, suggests potential for revival.
Malaysian swimming's Olympic campaign in Paris similarly fell short of expectations as debutants Khiew Hoe Yean and Tan Rou Xin struggled to make their mark.
Hoe Yean, competing in the men's 400m freestyle, finished 27th in the heats with 3:51.66 — well off his national record of 3:48.36 set at the Australian Championships in April. Rou Xin, who entered through a wildcard spot, placed 33rd in the 100m breaststroke heats. Her time of 1:12.50 was nearly a second slower than her personal best of 1:11.58.
However, Rou Xin's resilience showed in October when she made history at the World Cup series in Shanghai. Her bronze in the 400m individual medley made her the first Malaysian since Jeffrey Ong 35 years ago to medal at a World Cup event. Though achieved in a 25m short course pool, the feat marked a significant milestone for Malaysian swimming.
This year also saw encouraging performances from emerging talent. Bryan Leong demonstrated his versatility by setting three national records: 22.91 in the 50m freestyle and 24.08 in 50m breaststroke at the AP Race London International in May, followed by a new mark in the 100m butterfly at February's World Championships in Doha.
Another bright spark was Andrew Goh, who rewrote his own national records in the butterfly events at the Sarawak Sukma, posting impressive times of 27.40 and 1:01.39 in the 50m and 100m respectively.
These performances offer hope to national head coach Eric Anderson, who took the helm in Feb this year. The Dane's immediate focus is preparing the team for next year's Thailand Sea Games, where both the swimming and diving teams will seek to reassert Malaysia's standing in regional aquatics.