KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — Teenage rising star Bertrand Rhodict is ready to shoulder the responsibility of gunning for the diving gold in the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in May.
The 18-year-old said he had set himself the same target heading into the biennial Games this time before he focuses on his medal quest at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September.
“Last year, I competed in the men’s one-metre springboard event. This is my first year competing in the platform event but I have no problem taking on this responsibility (of winning gold).
“The pressure is there because of the gold medal target, but it’s also my target to win gold,” he said when met by Bernama after the 58th Malaysia Invitational Age Group (MIAG) Diving Championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil, here, today.
Bertrand and Enrique Maccartney will compete in the men’s 10m platform individual event in Phnom Penh.
Elaborating, the Sarawak-born Bertrand expects Singapore’s Max Lee to be his main challenger for the gold medal in Cambodia.
In the Hanoi SEA Games in Vietnam last year, Bertrand had to be contented with a bronze medal in the 1m springboard individual after compatriot Ooi Tze Liang bagged took gold, with Singapore’s Avvir Tham settling for silver.
Meanwhile, Enrique, 20, admitted to feeling a little nervous ahead of his SEA Games debut.
He said that besides not knowing the actual strengths of his opponents, he also did not take part in too many competitions.
Last November, Enrique won bronze in the men’s 10m individual platform and gold in the men’s 10m platform synchronised with Jellson Jabillin at the FINA Grand Prix (GP) here.
Earlier, at the MIAG meet, Bertrand and Enrique, who are representing the national squad, proved to be in a class of their own when they captured the men’s 10m platform synchronised gold medal with 355.29 points.
Sarawak’s Jared Aiden Harold-Elvis Priestly (302.40 points) and Awang Sharzan-Soh Tze Kang (263.37 points) settled for silver and bronze respectively. — Bernama
