Malaysian platform icon dives back into the medals

Pandelela Rinong Pamg, an icon of Malaysian diving, thanked her diving partner Nur Dhabitah Sabri after "gratefully" winning a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, a relief after her unexpected early withdrawal from the previous Asiad due to a back injury.

The 30-year-old Malaysian, who paired with Sabri, scored 266.94 points and ranked third in the women's synchronized 10m platform final at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena on Saturday night.

"I'm very thankful to my partner for fighting hard with me until the end. This bronze medal truly humbled me, as it's never getting easier to dive up on the platform," read Pamg's Facebook post on Saturday after the final.

"I'm personally relieved to be able to once more win a bronze medal at this Hangzhou Asian Games after pulling out from the event in 2018 due to injury."

Veteran Pamg is well known among global diving fans. She has taken part in three Asian Games, claiming silver in the synchronized 10m platform and bronze in the individual 10m platform events at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, as well as securing a bronze medal for the synchronized 10m platform event at the 2014 edition in Incheon.

Furthermore, she has participated in four Olympic Games since 2008, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics for the individual 10m platform event, followed by a silver in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro for the synchronized 10m platform event.

The bronze medal at the 2012 Games in London made her the first female athlete representing Malaysia in any sport to win a medal at the Olympic Games. It was also the first Olympic diving medal won by a Malaysian athlete.

However, the seven-time world championship medalist has endured a difficult season. She missed out on the individual 10m platform semifinals at July's world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, having suffered from both illness and injury.

When asked what motivates her, Pamg said: "My motivation comes from my teammates. They give me so much encouragement that it enables me to keep going and competing."

Pamg, who is now aiming for a fifth Olympics appearance in Paris next year, was also selected as one of the country's "unity icons" by Malaysia's Ministry of National Unity in June.