Dato Pandelela Rinong anak Pamg (born 2 March 1993) is a Malaysian diver. She has won two Olympic medals and seven

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

medals. Pandelela represented Malaysia at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

where she finished 27th in 10m platform. She won the gold medal at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

. She was chosen to be the flagbearer of Malaysia at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. She went on to win the bronze medal in the 10m platform, becoming the first Malaysian female athlete to win an

Olympic medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold medal, gold, silver medal, silver, and bronze medal, bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respect ...

, as well as the first in any sport other than badminton. At the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, she won the silver medal in the 10m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong.

Early and personal life

Pandelela was born in (Kampung) Kupuo Jugan, a Bidayuh village in Bau, Sarawak to Hartini Lamim and Pamg Joheng. She is of

Bidayuh Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak, Malaysia and northern West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo, which are broadly similar in language and culture (see also #Language issues, is ...

ethnicity, a Bumiputera native to the Malaysian state of

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

. She is the second of four siblings. At the age of seven she was selected as a state diver and continued her training at the Bukit Jalil Sports School. She graduated from

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

in 2018, majoring in Sports Management Science. Pandelela speaks

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

; which she learned from attending SJK(C) Stampin - a Chinese national-type primary school, as well as her

mother tongue, Malay and English.

Career

Pandelela made her international competition debut in 2007 at the Asian Junior Aquatics Championships where she won four gold medals. At the

2007 Southeast Asian Games The 2007 Southeast Asian Games (), officially known as the 24th Southeast Asian Games, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand. This was the sixth time Thailand hosted the ...

in Thailand, she won the gold medal in 10m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong. Pandelela made her Olympic debut at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

as a 15-year-old. She finished 27th in the 10 m platform. At the

2009 World Aquatics Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships () or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. This was the second time the championships were held in the city after being previously hosted in 1994 World Aq ...

, she finished fifth in the 10 m platform. She went on to win the bronze medal in the 10 m synchronized platform with Leong Mun Yee where it was also the first-ever diving medal for Malaysia at the World Championships. Pandelela won two gold medal at the

2009 Southeast Asian Games The 2009 Southeast Asian Games (, Romanization of Lao, translit. Kila phoumipak asi taven oak siang tai 2009), officially known as the 25th Southeast Asian Games, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event hosted by Vientiane, Laos. This was the ...

in Vientiane. She was the Malaysian national

flag bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

the

2010 Summer Youth Olympics The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, ) officially known as the I Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Singapore 2010, were the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an Olympic Games-based event for young athletes. Held ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

where she won the silver medals in the 10 m platform event and 3 m springboard event. At the

in New Delhi, she won Malaysia's debut

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

gold medal in an aquatic sport by winning the 10 m platform event. At the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), were a regional multi-sport event held from November 12 to 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (although several events commenced ear ...

in Guangzhou, she won the bronze medal in 10 m platform and the silver medal in 10m synchronized platform with Leong Mun Yee. Pandelela was Team Malaysia national

2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London, during which the Games were formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proc ...

, the debut Malaysian Olympic female athlete to be accorded the honour. She competed in the individual 10 m platform, 3m synchronized springboard with Cheong Jun Hoong and the 10 m synchronised platform event with Leong Mun Yee. She became the first Malaysian female athlete to win an Olympics medal, and the first Malaysian athlete to win an Olympics medal in a sport besides badminton by winning a bronze medal in the 10 m platform at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. To commemorate her success, she was presented with the Johan Bintang Kenyalang (Companion of the Order of the Star of Hornbill) by the Sarawak State Government, in a special investiture ceremony held at the Astana shortly after her triumphant return to her homeland. She became Sarawak's first athlete to be accorded with the award. At the

2013 World Aquatics Championships The 15th FINA World Championships (, ) were held from 20 July to 4 August in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.2013 Southeast Asian Games The 2013 Southeast Asian Games (, ), officially known as the 27th Southeast Asian Games, or the 27th SEA Games, and commonly known as Naypyitaw 2013, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event took place in Naypyidaw, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar from 11 ...

in Naypyidaw, she retained her gold medal in 10m platform event. Pandelela competed at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

in Glasgow. Despite a knee injury, she won the bronze medal in 10m synchronized platform with

Nur Dhabitah Sabri Nur Dhabitah binti Sabri (born 12 July 1999) is a Malaysian Diving (sport), diver. She is the youngest Malaysian diver to champion two senior international competitions. Early and personal life Dhabitah was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to ...

. She also bagged a silver in the 10m platform with a score of 368.55 points. At the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...

in Incheon, she won the bronze medal in 10 m synchro platform with Leong Mun Yee. In July 2015, Pandelela made history when she became the first Malaysian to finish on the podium in an individual event at the

World Aquatics Championships The World Aquatics Championships, formerly the FINA World Championships, are the World Championships for six aquatic disciplines: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. The championships are st ...

. She clinched a bronze medal in the individual 10 m platform in Kazan and qualify for the

2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

in Brazil. At the

in Rio de Janeiro, she won the silver medal in the 10 m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong, becoming the first Malaysian women's team to win a silver medal at the Olympics. In honour of her achievement at the

, The Sarawak Aquatic Centre in

Petra Jaya Petra Jaya is a suburb of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. This suburb was named after the sixth Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Yahya Petra of Kelantan (1975-1979). History The suburb was founded in the 1970s by Sarawak chief minister at that time nam ...

was officially named Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre. After

, Pandelela took a break to recuperate from back and shoulder injuries. At the

2017 World Aquatics Championships The 17th FINA World Championships () were held in Budapest, Hungary from 14 to 30 July 2017.

in Budapest, she won the bronze medal in 10 m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong. She finished ninth in the individual 10m platform which was won by her partner, Jun Hoong. At the

2017 Southeast Asian Games The 2017 Southeast Asian Games (), officially known as the 29th Southeast Asian Games, or the 29th SEA Games, and commonly known as Kuala Lumpur 2017, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event that took place from 19 to 30 August 2017 in Kuala ...

in Kuala Lumpur, she won the gold medal in newly introduced team event with Gabriel Gilbert Daim. She also retained her gold medal in the individual 10m platform event. At the 2021 FINA Diving World Cup in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, she won the gold medal in the individual 10 m platform. She placed fourth in the synchronized 10 m platform together with Leong Mun Yee. At the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, Pandelela and diving partner Leong Mun Yee finished eighth in the women's 10m synchronized platform.

Awards

* SAM-100PLUS Best Athlete: 2010, 2012, 2015 * National Sportswoman of the Year: 2011, 2012. 2015, 2021 * Sarawak Sportswoman of the Year: 2010, 2011–12 * NPC-Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin 1Malaysian of the Year: 2012 * TM Fans Pick Awards – Glorious Moment: 2015 * Sarawak Sports Youth Icon 2016 * UM Sportswoman of the Year: 2016 * UM Special Badge of University Sports *

Yakult is a Japanese sweetened probiotic milk beverage fermented with the bacteria strain '' Lacticaseibacillus casei'' Shirota. It is sold by Yakult Honsha based in Tokyo. The name "Yakult" was coined from ''jahurto'', an Esperanto word meaning "yogu ...

Sports Icon 2017 * Dayak Youth Sports Icon Award 2024 (Sportswoman Category)

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Member of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(AMN) (2016) * : ** Companion of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (JBK) (2016) ** Commander of the

Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak The ''Darjah Utama Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Sarawak'' (Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak) is the highest state order in the state of Sarawak. It is conferred to those who rendered excellent service towards the development of the state of ...

(PSBS) – Dato (2021)

Controversy

In June 2018, Pandelela and six other divers were caught in controversy after a video showed them partying and drinking alcohol during a training camp in

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The video was allegedly recorded on the eve of

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

day. Following the incident, the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) suspended the allowances of the seven national divers with immediate effect with more disciplinary action set to follow. Pandelela and the six other divers apologised publicly and promised the incident will not be repeated. ASUM announced later that no further action will be taken to the seven divers as the divers have already expressed remorse for their actions.

Legacy

Several places and honours were named after her, including: *Sarawak Aquatic Centre in Petra Jaya, Kuching was officially renamed the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre in 2018.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rinong, Pandelela 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Sarawak Bidayuh people Malaysian female divers Olympic divers for Malaysia Olympic medalists in diving Olympic silver medalists for Malaysia Olympic bronze medalists for Malaysia Divers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Divers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Divers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Divers at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics Asian Games medalists in diving Divers at the 2010 Asian Games Divers at the 2014 Asian Games Divers at the 2018 Asian Games Divers at the 2022 Asian Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Malaysia Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Malaysia Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Malaysia Divers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Divers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Divers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Commanders of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak Members of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Companions of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak World Aquatics Championships medalists in diving Asian Games silver medalists for Malaysia Asian Games bronze medalists for Malaysia Commonwealth Games gold medallists in diving Commonwealth Games silver medallists in diving Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in diving Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2022 Asian Games Summer World University Games medalists in diving SEA Games gold medalists for Malaysia SEA Games silver medalists for Malaysia SEA Games medalists in diving Competitors at the 2007 SEA Games Competitors at the 2009 SEA Games Competitors at the 2011 SEA Games Competitors at the 2013 SEA Games Competitors at the 2015 SEA Games Competitors at the 2017 SEA Games FISU World University Games silver medalists for Malaysia FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Malaysia Medalists at the 2011 Summer Universiade Divers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Competitors at the 2021 SEA Games Divers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games 21st-century Malaysian sportswomen Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games