Accolades aside, Pandelela is far from done, all-in for Paris 2024
ARNAZ M. KHAIRUL04 Feb 2023 11:47am
Despite an injury-plagued three years, Datuk Pandelela Rinong has her eyes firmly set on the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
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Swiftly after collecting her fourth Sportswoman of the Year award for 2021 on Wednesday, the 29-year old stated the need to begin looking at the next generation of divers, but that was by no means a signal that she was done with the sport.
The FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan on July 14-22 sees the start of the qualifying programme for the Olympics and it would also provide a view of where Pandelela stands among the world's best after battling through an injury-plagued three years.
"It's on and off. The ankle injury is one of them, then there is also a back and shoulder injury. We need to manage it well," said Pandelela, who turns 30 on March 2, of her battles with injury, among them the ankle injury that hampered her at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, seeing the former 10m platform bronze medallist from London in 2012 and 10m synchronised silver medallist in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, finish eighth.
Her last major victory was the FINA World Cup 10m platform individual gold medal in Tokyo in March, 2021, prior to the injury-plagued Olympics campaign that year and Pandelela will now be hoping Japan becomes her happy hunting ground again in Fukuoka this July.
It will also be a new challenge, since her previous synchronised partner Leong Mun Yee has retired, and Nur Dhabitah Sabri taking over. But Pandelela wants to keep setting the benchmark in both the individual and synchronised events.
"Yes, both of them. The World Championships will be a challenge for sure since it will be my first competition for this year, and it's the first Olympic qualifier," said the Sarawakian.
"Preparations are going well and we just just need to keep the focus in preparation and be consistent there and throughout the season."
