Asian Games debut fuels Rui Jie's LA28 ambitions

KUALA LUMPUR: Making his Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has given national diver Yong Rui Jie fresh motivation to pursue a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

For Rui Jie, competing at Asia's highest level gave him a clearer picture of the standard required while also motivating him to improve ahead of upcoming competitions.

"This was my first Asian Games. There were some good experiences and some not-so-good ones, but overall it was a great first experience.

"After this, we will focus on the next competition and try to do better," he said.

Rui Jie partnered Nurqayyum Nazmi Nazim to win bronze in the men's 3m synchronised springboard, matching the achievement of their coach Ooi Tze Liang at Hangzhou 2022.

He said his next competition will be the Malaysia Open Diving Championships before attention shifts to the LA28 Olympic qualification campaign, which begins next year.

"Next year we will start the Olympic qualification process. We will do our best and try to qualify for LA28," he said.

Asked whether he could switch events during the LA28 qualification campaign, Rui Jie said the decision would not be his alone and would depend on the team management.

The young diver, however, said the 3m springboard remains his preferred event.

He also identified South Korea and Japan as major rivals to watch, apart from traditional powerhouse China.

Those countries are expected to be among his key challengers as he bids to secure a place at the world's biggest multi-sport event.