Mun Yee and Elizabeth crash out

LEONG Mun Yee and Elizabeth Jimie's Beijing Olympics turned into an excursion instead as both finished 21st, and out of the semi-finals, in the women's 3m springboard at the Water Cube yesterday.

With just 30 divers in the fray, hopes were pinned on three-time Olympian Mun Yee and debutante Elizabeth upstaging Bryan Nickson Lomass' 19th-place finish in Athens four years.

A top-18 finish would have meant a place in the semi-finals but Mun Yee and Elizabeth each scored a total 253.50 points, 18 points behind 20th placed Diana Isabel Pineda.

Mun Yee's fourth dive severely cost her as she scored only 33 points after a poor entry. She scored 54.00 in her first dive, 52.50 in her second, 51.00 in the third and a high score of 63.00 in the final dive.

Team manager Edwin Chong said Mun Yee was upset by her shock fourth dive.
"She was consistent before that and we can't explain what went wrong," said Edwin.

A score of 55.00 in the fourth dive would have edged Mun Yee into 18th place ahead of Hungarian Nora Barta, who scored a total 276.15.

Elizabeth, 16, scored 48.00, 54.00, 42.00, 52.50 and 57.00.

With Mun Yee and Elizabeth's campaign over, Malaysia's hopes of at least one semi-final appearance rest on the shoulders of Pandalela Rinong in the women's 10m platform on Wednesday and Bryan the men's platform on Friday.

NST