DIVER Kimberly Bong Qiang Ping scored enough points to capture her first SEA Games gold medal in the women’s 3m springboard at the Morodok Techo Aquatics Centre.
“There was a lot of glare from the reflections of the pool. That affected my dives as I wasn’t so confident,” said Kimberly. “Looking at the scores, my dives were not my best but I am happy to have won the gold medal.”
It was the 21-year-old’s first gold medal after competing in three SEA Games. Kimberly came out tops with 276.3 points, keeping the gold in Malaysian hands. Her compatriot, Wendy Ng Yan Yee, won the event in the Hanoi edition last year.
Indonesian Gladies Lariesa, with 273.1, foiled a 1-2 finish by Malaysia today by taking the silver. Kimberly’s teammate Ong Ker Ying had to settle for bronze.
With Malaysian diving often associated with the likes of Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri, the Sarawak-born Kimberly admitted she found it a bit hard to believe that she won the first diving gold for Malaysia in the Cambodia Sea Games.
