malaysiangKUCHING, Malaysia Games (SUKMA) debutant from Sarawak, Nurul Farisya Alia Affendi, 15, delivered a stunning performance at the diving pool, defeating both a SEA Games champion and her more experienced teammate to claim the gold medal in the women’s platform event at the Games 21st edition here today.
Nurul Farisya Alia, who only joined the national backup programme earlier this year, amassed 241.90 points to secure her second SUKMA gold at the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre here.
The Kuching native had already struck gold in the women’s 10-metre platform synchronised event with Nur Eilisha Rania Muhammad Abrar Raj on Monday.
However, it was the 2023 Cambodian SEA Games gold medallist, Lee Yiat Qing, representing the Federal Territories (FT), who narrowly missed out on the top spot. A poorly executed third dive saw her finish with 241.10 points, settling for silver, while Nur Eilisha Rania took bronze with 231.45 points.
Speaking to the reporters later, Nurul Farisya Alia admitted she didn’t expect to ou
tshine her more seasoned rivals.
‘I felt my dives weren’t as strong as the others, but maybe my fourth dive clinched the victory for me. My main targets were gold in the 10m platform synchronised with Rania and the mixed platform synchronised with Muhammad Lutfir Rahman Mohammad Razak.
‘I also had my family’s support; they came to watch and wished me good luck before the competition,’ she said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
