KUALA LUMPUR – National diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri sees her upcoming opportunity to compete in the Paris Olympics on July 26 as a chance to rejuvenate her career, especially after facing harsh criticism for not qualifying on merit for the world’s largest sporting event.
Dhabitah will compete in Paris in the women’s individual three-metre springboard event through an unused quota provided by World Aquatics.
Speaking to Scoop, Dhabitah expressed her disbelief at being given the opportunity to compete in the Olympics for the third time since her debut at Rio 2016.
The failure of the national diving squad at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, in February was not just a setback for Malaysian sports but also had a personal impact on Dhabitah.
Therefore, when she was once again given the chance to go to the Olympics, the 24-year-old felt even more determined to silence her critics with a stellar performance in Paris.
“I feel like showing people that I still have the fighting spirit within me. It’s true that I qualified through the unused quota this time, but I want to show that I still have the passion to compete and perform,” said Dhabitah.
In previous Olympics, the diving team was often seen as a strong medal prospect for the national contingent.
However, this time, with only two athletes, Dhabitah would like everyone to manage their expectations and urges fans not to place undue pressure on herself or on Olympic debutant Betrand Rhodict Lises.
Despite experiencing various successes and coming close to winning a medal in Tokyo 2020, by finishing fourth overall, Dhabitah feels that the competition now is tougher than ever.
“I hope fans will understand more because everyone wants to win. If I give 110%, other competitors will also give the same. It’s anyone’s game.
“I just hope that people can accept that this is all about fate; I can only strive. If it’s not meant to be, I accept it.
“Trying to make everyone understand is very difficult because not everyone can accept it. They don’t understand how challenging our training sessions are, the exhaustion we feel.
“If they knew our lives, they would know that we would never intentionally miss the chance to compete in the Olympic Games,” she added. – July 5, 2024