KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — A sudden loss of enthusiasm and idea on how to perform the perfect diving routine is a situation that can happen to any diver, said national woman diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri, who will be in action at the July 23-Aug 8 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Nur Dhabitah, 21, said it is every diver’s nightmare to be in a situation where one is incapable of performing his or her usual diving routine, other than the fear of being injured when diving.

The Kuala Lumpur-born athlete said she had heard stories of international divers being forced to withdraw from their events because of such fears and self-doubt.

“I don’t know if such things have happened in Malaysia, but many athletes overseas were forced to quit because they no longer knew how to dive... they just don’t have the feeling and confidence anymore and they just can’t do it.

“They could not even do the somersault. So, it is matters like these that we (divers) fear,” said Nur Dhabitah, who is more popularly called Bita, when contacted by Bernama.

Nur Dhabitah said divers who experienced such a situation risked injuring themselves if continued to dive.

“It is dangerous to dive when you are afraid. I’ve heard such stories from fellow divers. It is indeed very sad because although you can dive, suddenly you freeze,” she said.

Nevertheless, Nur Dhabitah, who qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in style after winning the women’s 3-metre (m) springboard individual gold at the Asian Diving Cup 2019 here, admitted that she still enjoyed diving.

The 2017/2018 Federal Territories Best Sportswoman said her best memories as a diver were winning competitions, participating in championships together with her comrades-in-arms whom she regards as her second family as well as the opportunities to go abroad.

“What is bitter, though, is when you lose and your confidence disappears. That’s why you have a second family, my teammates are always there to support and encourage me. One thing I want to do, if I can turn back the clock, is just to believe in myself,” said the youngest of four siblings.

Nur Dhabitah said the lowest point of her career came at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea where she was eliminated in the qualifying rounds after finishing 25th out of 51 divers.

She added that everything she tried at that time didn’t work and it made her feel like giving up.

“Nothing worked… at that time, I felt like packing my bags and leave the place immediately to return to Malaysia,” she said as she credited her Australian coach, Christian Brooker, for playing an important role in restoring her confidence.

Speaking on challenges faced by divers, she said that, just like other athletes, they too had to make many sacrifices to achieve success at the highest level.

Nur Dhabitah admitted that the uncertainties arising from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic only added to the stress level, especially since she is unable to meet and spend quality time with her family as she is undergoing training under the sports bubble prior to the Tokyo Olympics.

She conceded that the pandemic has been a bane for them in their preparation for Tokyo, adding that it was something totally unexpected.

“In the past, we were stressed too when we undergo training camps in Australia or China but, at least then, we could be patient because we knew that we would be able to go home and meet our families.

“But this time, we don’t know when we can go back, don’t know how long we will be stuck here nor when we can recover from Covid-19 in Malaysia... everything is a question mark,” said Nur Dhabitah, who also won the silver and bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games.

But, being the professional athlete that she is and having made many appearances in prestigious championships, including the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she intends to shoulder her responsibility as best as possible at the Tokyo Olympics.

Nur Dhabitah biodata:

Full name: Nur Dhabitah Binti Sabri

Nickname: Bita

Date of birth: July 12, 1999

Place of birth: Kuala Lumpur Hospital

Family: Youngest of four siblings

Ambition: Veterinarian

Hobby: Reading Harry Potter books

Favourite food: ‘Siput sedut’ (Cerithidea obtusa) dishes.

Highest achievement: Qualify for the Olympic Games. — Bernama