KUALA LUMPUR: Where is the next Pandelela Rinong? As the talents dry up in the national diving squad, it's at events like the Malaysia Games (Sukma) that they hope to unearth Malaysia's next generation of stars.
Technical director, Bryan Nickson Lomas, said the Sukma in Kuching will be a platform to identify new talents for the national diving team.
The Sukma diving competition will be held at the Pandelela Rinong Aquatics Centre from Aug 19-23.
"I will be with two national junior coaches throughout the Sukma in Sarawak. We are looking for athletes that can be brought into the national junior squad next year.
"I hope we can find many promising divers, especially women. We are currently short on female athletes, even though we brought in four new ones this year," said Bryan.
The Sukma has always been the starting point for many of the country's athletes before they made a name for themselves on the international stage.
Pandelela, herself, was discovered through Sukma when she was just 13 years old in 2006. She has acknowledged that Sukma played a crucial role in her career, transforming her life.
"My first Sukma was in Kedah in 2006. I won three golds and two silvers in Alor Star.
"Since then, I fell in love with diving," said Pandelela, who went on to win an Olympic bronze in the 10m individual platform in 2012 London and an Olympic silver in the 10m synchronised platform with Cheong Jun Hoong in 2016 Rio de Janeiro.