Malaysian divers outclass Phl bets

MANILA, Philippines - Malaysia has overtaken 2005 overall champion Philippines on the Asian Games stage with its seven diving medals, making it the best-performing country outside China in the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Malaysia took the silver in the men’s and women’s 10m synchronized platform and the men’s synchronized 3m springboard diving and the bronze in the men’s and women’s 1m springboard, and the women’s 10m platform diving.

The seven-medal haul is the most number of diving medals at an Asiad by a country outside China since China joined the quadrennial meet in 1974.

Malaysia’s four silver-medal count is also a record for a country outside China.

China’s has swept all nine events so far contested and was poised to make 10 of 10 with the completion of the women’s 10m platform diving late last night.

Its dominance includes gold medal wins in the women’s synchronized 3m springboard (Shi Tingmao-Wang Han), men’s synchronized 10m platform (Yang Liguang-Zhou Luxin), women’s synchronized 10 m platform (Chen Ruolin-Wang Hao), men’s 3m springboard (Luo Yutong-Qin Kai), women’s 1m springboard (Wu Minxia), men’s1m springboard (He Min), women’s 10m platform diving (Hu Yadan) and men’s 3m springboard (He Chong).

Niño Carog and Zardo Domenios finished fifth in the men’s 3m springboard with a score of 341.50.

Sheila Mae Perez scored 232.35 and finished eighth in the 1m springboard. Her performance in Guangzhou paled in comparison to the 265.80 she scored in gaining the silver in the 2007 SEA Games.

Carog finished 13th in the 1m springboard with a second worst mark of 264.00 and ninth in the 3m springboard with 355.45.