Wake-up call for Yiwei after missing Olympic boat to Riot
- Tan Ming Wai
- Jul 22, 2016
- 2 min read
Down but not out. Yiwei aims to bounce back to salvage his pride after missing Olympic cut. – FAIHAN GHANI/The Star.
KUCHING: National diver Chew Yiwei is disappointed with himself.
Instead of gearing up for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next month, Yiwei is in Kuching, Sarawak for his fourth Sukma appearance.
The 20-year-old was targeted to secure one the individual berths for the Rio Olympics in the 3m springboard and 10m platform events – but he failed.
While it is a bitter pill to swallow, he knows that it’s also the wake-up call he needed.
Selangor diver Chew Yiwei determined to salvage his pride at Sukma in Kuching. - FAIHAN GHANI/The Star.
“I have let myself down ... I’m disappointed to be the only one not to have made it to the Olympics,” said Yiwei, a four-time Sukma gold medallists from Selangor.
“It definitely serves as a wake-up call for me. I need to buck up and be more consistent if I want to compete in the Tokyo Olympics in four years’ time.
“My failure (to qualify for Rio) has shaken my confidence. But I love challenges and I will make a come back.”
Yiwei does not need to look very far for inspiration.
Team-mate Ooi Tze Liang suffered the same fate in 2012 when he was the only diver to miss out on the London Olympics.
But Tze Liang completed a remarkable turnaround to become a Glasgow Commonwealth Games champion two years later.
“I certainly hope to emulate my buddy Tze Liang ... the way he picked himself up has really inspired me,” said Yiwei, who hopes to cap his last Sukma outing with more titles.
As a national athlete, he is only eligible to compete in two events – the 3m springboard, which he won gold two years ago, and the 10m platform individuals.
Selangor will be counting on him to win both, Yiwei is wary of national back-up diver Syafiq Puteh.
“Syafiq will be my strongest opponent again. He beat to the 1m springboard gold at the last Sukma in Perlis,”
Ten gold medals will be up for grabs when the diving competition starts at the Sarawak Aquatic Centre in Petra Jaya on Sunday.
Source: The Star Online