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Pandelela will shine again

NATIONAL coach Yang Zhuliang believes Pandelela Rinong will return to her best for the World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona following a promising performance in the recent Diving World Series.

On her return from an ankle injury since the London Olympics, Pandelela earned a bronze in the women's 10-metre platform in the opening leg in Beijing but failed to finish on the podium in Dubai.
Pandelela posted a 353.50 points in Dubai for fifth place compared to her bronze score of 337.75 in Beijing.

Zhuliang said the other competitors performed better and scored higher in Dubai but Pandelela should not be disheartened.

"It should serve as an eye-opener and hopefully, Pandelela will use this as motivation to achieve greater heights. Pandelela did fine in Dubai but her second dive on the arm stand position did not impress the judges," said Zhuliang yesterday.

"She must also work on her entries. It is not as perfect as before but I believe she will make clean dives soon."

Pandelela, 20, second in the series last season, is fighting against time to prepare for the world meet scheduled for July 19-Aug 4.

"Pandelela is one of the most hard-working divers I've ever worked with and I am confident she will overcome all challenges to attain success. She is talented and an Olympic medallist... she needs to polish her dives and try new routines to remain competitive," said Zhuliang.

The Commonwealth Games champion will continue her campaign in the series in Edinburgh (April 19-21) followed by Moscow (April 26-28), Guadalajara (May 17-19) and Mexico City (May 24-26).
She is using the series to prepare for the World University Games (Kazan July 6-17) and the world meet. A Sport Science undergraduate of Universiti Malaya, Pandelela may skip the University Games pending approval as it is scheduled too close to the world meet.

Pandelela is also down for the World Grand Prix in Canada (May 2-5) and the United States (May 9-12). The outdoor event in the US will be a perfect warm-up for the national squad as the world meet will be held in similar conditions. By Ajitpal Singh

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