Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 6, 2022: Malaysia’s double Olympic Games diving medallist Pandelela Rinong has held up her former teammate Leong Mun Yee as an example as to what can be achieved at the highest level of sport.
Leong, 37, announced her retirement this week after 25 years with Malaysia’s national team and five appearances in the Olympic Games, starting as far back as Sydney 2000 and finishing at Tokyo 2020 last summer.
Pandelela, who has an Olympic silver medal from Rio 2016 and a bronze from London 2012, described Leong as a “wonderful senior and important family member” for the Malaysia diving team.
“Despite our nine years age gap, you and I are more than just a working relationship. You are a positive teammate, supportive partner and trusted friend since we first started doing synchro in 2009,” Pandelela wrote.
“We've been through a lot. You have been through much more, of course, but I'm glad we always chose the right path. One thing I respect about you the most is that, whoever is coaching you, you can always adapt and open to new changes. I wonder how many coaches have trained you so far?
“The next time when someone asks me how long can a diver dive competitively, I would say your age. That's because you are the example of what is possible.”
Leong called it a day after representing Malaysia for 25 years in the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, SEA Games - in which she collected 17 gold medals – and many other international events of world governing body FINA.