KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The transition from platform to springboard event since May may cast a shadow of doubt on national men’s diver Hanis Nazirul Jayasurya’s dream of making his Olympic Games debut in Paris 2024.
However, the determined 22-year-old athlete remains undeterred.
He said such a situation would serve as an opportunity for him to embrace a new challenge and keep his Olympics dream alive.
“Realistically, it is kind of hard for me to earn the ticket to Paris 2024. However, I still have a long journey to go in diving, and I wish to qualify for Los Angeles 2028, instead,” Hanis Nazirul said when met at the Malaysia Open Diving Championships 2023.
The Kuala Lumpur-born diver admitted he still needs time to adapt to springboard after having competed in the platform event for the past seven years
Asked why he opted to switch events, Hanis Nazirul emphasised his desire to continue the legacy of seasoned campaigners — Ooi Tze Liang and Muhammad Syafiq Puteh — in the springboard event, should they retire in the future.
“The other reason was to help my juniors (platform) to emerge; otherwise, they will not have the chance to get the exposure,” he said.
Currently, among the up-and-coming national men’s divers for platform events include Bertrand Rhodict Lises, who had already earned a spot in Paris 2024, and Enrique Maccartney Harold.
Meanwhile, Hanis Nazirul expressed his openness to the idea of forming a partnership with Wendy Ng Yan Yee in the mixed 3m springboard synchronised event in the future.
This consideration came after the scratch pair emerged victorious in the mixed 3m springboard synchronised event with 262.80 points during the last day of the tournament held in the National Aquatic Centre, Bukit Jalil, yesterday.
Malaysia emerged as the overall champions of the three-day tournament with five golds, three silver and three bronze, followed by Sarawak in second place (2 – 2 – 0), while Uzbekistan was third (2 – 1 – 1).
— Bernama
