Pandelela sets sights on Rio
Published on: Friday, May 27, 2016
Putra Jaya: Winning the Sportswoman of the Year at the 2015 National Sports Awards has inspired national diving queen Pandelela Rinong to bring home a medal from the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, this August.Pandelela, 23, from Sarawak, who has previously won the award in 2011, and 2013, said her focus now was to improve her diving performance in the final three months leading up to the world's biggest sporting event."This is my third (Sportswoman) award and am really glad, and want to thank everyone who has supported me.
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"After this, there is no other (diving) meets, my full attention will be on training and preparing for Rio. I will most probably undergo training abroad in the near future," she told reporters after winning the award at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), here, Wednesday night.Meanwhile, national silat athlete Mohd Al Jufferi Jamari, who was named as Sportsman of the Year, described the award as a significant achievement for the sport of silat, which has generally been given less attention compared to other sports. "I am very grateful for winning this award after only being nominated in the final six in the two previous editions.
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"This award will also inspire other silat athletes to bring glory to the country in the international arena," said the native of Kuantan, Pahang, who won gold in the Putera E category (65-70kg) at the 16th World Silat Championships in Phuket, Thailand, last year.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Also present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. – Bernama
