KUALA LUMPUR – National diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri has a golden opportunity to re-establish herself as one of Malaysia’s top divers after being awarded a wild card slot in the women’s 3m springboard event at the Paris Olympics next month.
National diving squad technical director Bryan Nickson Lomas confirmed this to Scoop, announcing that World Aquatics had granted an additional slot to Malaysia.
This is a second chance for Dhabitah, who failed to qualify on merit at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, last February.
In Doha, Dhabitah did not make it to the finals in the women’s 3m springboard, finishing 24th with a total score of 238.15 points.
Additionally, her pairing with Datuk Pandelela Rinong in the 10m synchronised platform event also fell short of qualification for Paris 2024, ending in 12th place.
“This is very exciting for our national diving squad because our predictions have come true.
“I just had a discussion with Dhabitah, and she will join Bertrand Rhodict for a central training camp in the United Kingdom starting July 9,” said Bryan.
Bryan also noted that Dhabitah’s spirit has been restored after heavy criticism following the national diving squad’s failure to secure more representatives for the Olympics.
After the campaign in Doha, Dhabitah and several divers were reported to have experienced disturbances that affected their performance.
Although Bryan did not detail these issues, he explained that everything has been resolved and communication between athletes, coaches, and management has improved.
“Her mood is much better now, more positive. The overall atmosphere in the national camp has also improved among the divers.
“Ideally, we want her to reach the finals, but Dhabitah has decided to take it one round at a time before focusing on the final.”
This will be Dhabitah’s third Olympic appearance, following her performances in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
In Tokyo, she came close to winning a medal in the 3m springboard event before ultimately finishing fourth.
The national diving squad is also hopeful for another wild card slot in the men’s individual 3m springboard event, with the decision expected on July 8. – June 29, 2024