KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Young national diver Nur Eilisha Rania Muhammad Abrar Raj is so focused on making a golden debut at the SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia that she even skipped the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration with her family in Kuching, Sarawak.
The 17-year-old, who is the daughter of former Sarawak woman diver Victory Emmy, however, admitted that it’s normal for athletes to make such sacrifices, adding that she is used to it now that she has been away from her family since she was 14.
“This year, I was only given two days off (April 22 and April 23). So, I chose to celebrate in my room in Bukit Jalil with some friends who also did not go back to their hometowns.
“I only celebrated moderately by calling up my family on Hari Raya morning and buying food outside to enjoy with my friends. However, I miss my mother’s tempoyak (fermented durian paste) and my father’s chicken curry,” she said when contacted by Bernama today.
Nur Eilisha Rania said she also resumed training yesterday under coach Li Jun Bai to polish up her diving techniques to ensure she can give a good fight at the biennial Games from May 5 to May 17.
The teenager also said that she uses the guidance and advice of the senior athletes as a motivation to follow in their footsteps by carving up victories in several international-level championships, including the Olympics.
Nur Eilisha Rania, who will leave for Cambodia on May 5 with the rest of the diving squad, is set to compete in the women’s 10-metre (m) platform individual event.
“Senior divers like Datuk Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri did advise me to be focused during competition and not to place too much pressure on myself when competing there (in the SEA Games).
“InsyaAllah, I will bring back the gold medal for Malaysia. I have to admit there is a little pressure (without the participation of the seniors), but I hope all parties will have faith (in the abilities) of the junior divers,” she said.
The national diving squad will be banking on the backup divers to go for gold in the 32nd edition of the SEA Games in Cambodia.
In the previous edition in Hanoi, Vietnam last year, the diving team made a clean sweep of all eight gold medals, besides also bagging three silvers and one bronze for good measure.
— Bernama
