HANOI, May 11 — National diver Muhammad Syafiq Puteh is in seventh heaven after clinching the country’s seventh diving gold medal at the SEA Games here today.
But what makes it even sweeter is that it comes just a day before his precious little princess, Nuraisya Zulaikha turns two tomorrow.
The 27-year-old said the gold he won in the men’s 3-metre (m) springboard individual was the perfect gift for his daughter, whom he has not seen for the last two months as he had to attend a training camp in preparation for the biennial Games.
“This victory is very meaningful because tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday, so I dedicate it to her,” he told reporters at the Aquatic Sports Palace here.
Earlier, he emerged champion in the event after accumulating 381.35 points from six dives, while compatriot Gabriel Gilbert Daim (375.30 points) and Thailand’s Chawanwat Juntaphadawon (340.35 points) took home silver and bronze respectively.
Commenting on his performance today, Muhammad Syafiq admitted that he did not perform well but was lucky that his diving difficulty came to his rescue.
He was also happy with the performance of 20-year-old Gabriel, who gave him a tough fight to ensure Malaysia enjoyed a 1 – 2 finish.
Muhammad Syafiq had previously won the 3m springboard synchronised mixed gold medal with Jasmine Lai at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games.
— Bernama