New Sarawak diving sensation Dayang Nursharzyra wins gold at MIAG championships

KUALA LUMPUR (May 11): Dayang Nursharzyra Awang Nasaruddin, a young diver from Sarawak, created a sensation of her own when she won the gold medal in the 3-metre springboard event at the 59th Malaysian Invitational Age-Group Swimming Championships (MIAG) at the National Aquatics Centre in Bukit Jalil here today.

The 17-year-old athlete recorded 374.60 points to beat 2023 Cambodia SEA Games women’s 10m platform gold medallist Lee Yiat Qing of Kuala Lumpur (372.70 points) while Kuala Lumpur diver Teng Hui Xue was third with (307.45 points).

Refusing to be drawn into bragging about her triumph, Dayang Nursharzyra feels she clinched the victory because the springboard event was more ingrained in her than Yiat Qing who is more synonymous with the platform event.

“In my opinion her (Yiat Qing) forte is the platform, not the board (flexible) so most of the time she practises the platform but because she was injured in the wrist, she decided to try out the springboard as well.

“So I think the reason why I won is not because of power, since (after all) even in our sport, there are ups and downs and my score is not very far from hers,” Dayang Nursharzyra said after the prize presentation here today.

Meanwhile, Yiat Qing, who looked quite emotional, said that the new diving technique that she used for the first time at the competition made her a little nervous to show her sterner side.

“I’m using this dive for the first time and I don’t have the confidence yet, so I hesitated before my dive and then (these things happen),” she said.

While Yiat Qing is widely said to be emulating the legendary Pandelela Renong’s footsteps in her younger days, Dayang Nursharzyra has ambitions to become a great diver like Nur Dhabitah Sabri.

And Yiat Qing and Dayang Nursharzyra are no strangers to each other. Both teamed up to win the women’s 3m springboard synchro (age 14-18) at the Asian Age-Group Aquatics Championships in the Philippines in March this year.

Meanwhile, Eilisha Rania Abrial Rajagopal, who won the gold medal in the women’s 3m springboard synchro event with Dayang Nursharzyra, said she is looking forward to making an appearance at the Sarawak 2024 Malaysian Games (SUKMA) which will take place from Aug 17 to 24.

The pairing of Eilisha Rania-Dayang Nursharzyra managed to record 218.25 points to defeat the pair, of Yiat Qing-Hui Xue from Kuala Lumpur who recorded 203.64 while Ainslee Kwang Jia-Adrielle Elizabeth finished third place with (202.44 points).

“Feeling a little nervous because there are usually more seniors at the top? After all, I am participating this time as a senior diver who needs to give guidance to other younger athletes.

“(But) because of this, I am happy to return to my village and will return two weeks earlier before Sukma starts (XXI Malaysia Games which Sarawak is hosting this August) to train in Sarawak,” Eilisha said. – Bernama