KUALA LUMPUR − Another piece of good news is likely to greet former national diver Datuk Leong Mun Yee so soon after being conferred the honorific title of Datuk.
Mun Yee has been recommended for the role of assistant coach for the national diving camp beginning 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 Mun Yee an allowance 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 2022 Federal Territory Day.
Mun Yee, who started diving at ten, 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 Datuk Pandelela Rinong − 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 in 2012 as the first local female athlete to qualify for four Olympics.
Apart from Mun Yee, Mae said they are waiting to welcome the arrival of another assistant coach − 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 previously training Brazilian divers.
“Plus, Malaysia is not too far from his homeland and most of the divers (here) can speak Mandarin,” she added. – Bernama, February 10, 2022
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