Cheong Jun Hoong, who will be representing Malaysia in women’s 10m platform individual event at the Tokyo Olympics, has been awarded a sponsorship.
This will be the third time that Jun Hoong will be competing in the Olympic Games, and it will also be her most challenging attempt yet. Not only did she have to contend with knee surgery in 2018, but her road to qualification was fraught with twists and turns.
31-year-old Jun Hoong will depart for Tokyo with her coach, Yang Zhuliang, on the 25th of July. Recently, Jun Hoong was signed by Simply K – a well-known mask manufacturer in Malaysia – to be their spokesperson.
The experience has considerably boosted Jun Hoong’s confidence and given her the motivation to put in her best possible performance at the Olympics this year.
“Qualifying for Tokyo Olympics has not been easy,” said Jun Hoong, “Two weeks before our departure, we have been frantically preparing for this huge event. I have been training hard every day. And thanks to the guidance from my coach, I have learned much. I am also more aware of my areas of improvement.”
Jun Hoong will participate in the 10m platform individual event, an event of which she became Malaysia’s first diving World Champion. In the last Rio Olympics, she  won a silver medal in the synchronised 10m platform event with Pandelela Rinong.
Amidst the fears of the Olympics being cancelled due to the pandemic situation, Jun Hoong remains focused and unflustered. “There is definitely some cause for concern,” she said, “but these matters are out of our control. The best thing for me to do is to focus on doing my best and not let myself get distracted.”
“I will also do whatever I can to safeguard myself from the pandemic,” she added. “And that includes wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing my hands frequently when I’m out in public.”
When asked about her plans for the future, Jun Hoong preferred instead to focus on her present task at hand.
“The future holds so many possibilities. I haven’t decided on anything concrete as of yet. We can discuss all that after the Olympics are over.
Jordan Foo, the managing director of Simply K, has pledged his full support to Cheong Jun Hoon, even as the company itself struggles to overcome the challenges it is currently facing as a result of the pandemic and a weakened economy.
According to Fu, it was Jun Hoong’s dogged determination in the face of adversity and setbacks that touched him the most.
Simply K is also showing its full support to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) by creating specially-made commemorative masks for the Malaysian delegates representing the country at the Tokyo Olympics.
