KUCHING: State Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah congratulated national diving queen Pandelela Rinong for winning the 10m individual platform gold at the 2021 FINA World Cup diving tournament in Japan on Wednesday.
He said Pandelela’s achievement meant a lot to Malaysia and Sarawak because the world championship was the final platform for athletes from across the globe to secure their places in the Tokyo Olympics this year.
“Congratulations for making Malaysia proud by winning the first gold medal for our national squad this year.
“Her achievement has made us all proud because it is considered a bonus for our national squad and it has been used to evaluate the performance of athletes who did not participate in any competition after almost a year.
“On behalf of the Youth and Sports Ministry, I call on all our local athletes to double their efforts in training and prepare themselves to be better equipped in spearheading our country’s challenge in international competitions.”
He added that Pandelela’s achievement also proved that Sarawak athletes were able to compete with those from more developed countries in terms of advances in sports science, dietary and sports technology.
