2024 OLYMPICS: TOO LATE TO INCREASE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY - NUR DHABITAH

KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Bernama) -- National diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri admits that it is too late to increase the degree of difficulty for her dives in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which will be held from July 26 to Aug 11.

Nur Dhabitah, who received a last-minute call-up for Paris 2024, said she would need at least a year to increase the degree of difficulty for the women's individual 3-metre (m) springboard event.

"The degree of difficulty cannot be increased at this time. The highest I can do in the 3m springboard event is 3.1.

“In the future maybe. It gives you a lot of benefits but must be executed well to gain more points,” she told reporters after receiving a visit from Malaysia's chef de mission to Paris 2024 Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin here today.

Despite being unable to develop a more difficult routine, the 24-year-old still hopes to surpass her performance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Nur Dhabitah will use the remaining three weeks before the sports event opens to increase the intensity of her training and improve her dives, including during the final phase of training in the United Kingdom starting next week.

"I just want to increase my score because the scoring this time is stricter. I just need to be more relaxed this time," said Nur Dhabitah, who is likely to train with divers from Australia in the United Kingdom.

She said training in the United Kingdom will also help her adapt to the European weather and time zone before she dives into action in Paris.

The Kuala Lumpur diver is not thinking too much about medals and just wants to focus on delivering her best dives at the Aquatic Centre in Saint Denis from July 27 to Aug 10.

In her debut appearance in Rio 2016, Nur Dhabitah competed in the 10m individual platform event and the women's 3m synchronised springboard event with Cheong Jun Hoong.

Her best achievement on the Olympic stage was in the last edition in Tokyo where she finished fourth in the individual 3m springboard event with a score of 326.15 points.

Nur Dhabitah, who failed to qualify on merit, will compete in the 2024 Olympics through the surplus quota not used by athletes from other countries.

She will accompany young Sarawakian diver Bertrand Rhodict Lises, who became the first national athlete to qualify automatically for Paris.

-- BERNAMA