KUALA LUMPUR: Young diver Bertrand Rhodict Lises has emerged as the first Malaysian to book a slot on merit to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after finishing in the final 10 in the 10m platform at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
In the competition held in Fukuoka Prefectural Pool, Japan, Rhodict completed the semi-finals with 420.70 points to be placed 10th out of 18 participants, according to the championship website, worldaquatics.com.
The success saw the 18-year-old diver excel in placing himself among the best 12 qualifying group in the semi-final stage who will perform in the final and thus qualify for Paris.
Lian Junjie from China topped the round with 505.50 points, followed by Cassiel Rousseau from Australia (494.10 points) while Yang Hao of China was in third place (484.90 points).
Rhodict can become the first diver to deliver a medal in Fukuoka if he puts in an excellent performance on the final tomorrow as the national squad has yet to reach a podium position since the tournament began on July 14.
Meanwhile, a different fate befell national diver Enrique Maccartney Harold when his campaign came to a halt in the qualifying round through the same event after recording only 308.20 points to rank 39th out of 40 competitors.
The championship will run until July 30.
In a post on Insta Story via MSN Instagram site, Bertrand could not hide his joy as soon as he became the first Malaysian athlete to qualify for the world’s largest sporting event next year.
He took the opportunity to express his appreciation to his coaches, family and friends for the support and encouragement rendered to him all this while.
“Big thanks to Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN), Institut Sukan Negara and Kementerian Belia dan Sukan for supporting me. Please keep supporting me until Paris 2024,” he said.
At the same time, MSN also congratulated the Saraweak-born athlete for his achievement. -Bernama
