Muristek
Malaysia’s Leong Mun Yee (left) and Pandelela Rinong compete in the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving final event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo July 27, 2021. — AFP pic
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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 ― Another piece of good news is likely to greet former national diver Datuk Leong Mun Yee, soon after she was conferred a “Datukship”.
Mun Yee has been recommended to be appointed as an assistant coach for the national diving camp starting next month.
Malaysia Swimming (MS) secretary-general Mae Chen said Mun Yee will be tasked with training those under the Podium Programme, should the National Sports Council (NSC) hand out the contract.
“We did raise Mun Yee’s appointment issue in our meeting with the NSC this morning, and in a way they approved our proposal to appoint her as the assistant coach to Li Rui (national coach),” she told Bernama when contacted today.
Mae said MS is currently paying allowance to Mun Yee as the five-time Olympian has been helping to train the national divers since last month.
“All contracts under the NSC are on a yearly basis, so in Mun Yee’s situation, I believe her contract will end in March 2023, should she receive the contract,” she said.
On Tuesday, Mun Yee was among 59 individuals who were awarded the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah (PMW), which carries the Datuk title, by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in conjunction with the 2022 Federal Territory Day.
Mun Yee, who started diving at 10, is among the most decorated national divers, having bagged numerous medals, including silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, bronze at the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea and two golds at the 2017 KL SEA Games.
She is also the first Malaysian diver, together with Pandelela, to win a bronze medal in women’s 10m synchronised platform at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy, and has earned a place in the Malaysian Book of Records as the first local female athlete to qualify for four Olympics in 2012.
Apart from Mun Yee, Mae said they are waiting to welcome the arrival of the second assistant coach to Li Rui, Li Jun Bao of China, next month.
She believed that Jun Bao would fit in well with the national divers although the 30-year-old ex-diver faced a language barrier when he was training Brazilian divers previously.
“Plus, Malaysia is not too far from his homeland and most of the divers (here) can speak Mandarin,” she added. — Bernama