Elvis 'Presley' sings away the blues to win Sukma diving title

Shah Alam was the scene of Elvis Presley Clement winning the synchronised diving title at the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma) on the 21st of December. The Sarawak duo beat their rivals, with Elvis and Jared scoring 330.51 points, while Haziq Muizzudin-Arfa Zikry from Selangor finished in second place with 305.28 points. Anilrian Normatrud Abdullah from Sabah secured the bronze medal with 288.78 points.

The triumph was particularly significant for Elvis, who has been working to overcome his fear of the 10m platform dive following a back injury. Despite still feeling the trauma of the injury, Elvis is determined to regain his confidence. "I am trying hard to overcome it," he stated.

The gold medal provided a much-needed lift after Elvis' failure to defend his 3m springboard title in the previous event. Jared Aiden Harold, his diving partner, had only a week to prepare for the competition as the latter was away for a month at training camps. Jared admitted that their preparation was far from ideal, but they only expected a moderate performance.

Elvis, however, was pleased with their victory and is now focusing on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games next month, where he is expected to compete alongside Enrique Maccartney Harold in the same event.

Elvis emphasized that their performance was not perfect, but they are confident in their preparation. "Sukma is part of my preparation for the Asian Games," he said. "Enrique and I have increased the difficulty of several dives, but against China, consistency and focus are more important."

In the mixed 3m synchronised springboard event, Sarawak's Awang Sharzan Nasrin-Dayang Nursharzyra emerged victorious with 235.32 points. Federal Territories' Yong Rui Jie-Teng Hui Xue placed second with 224.13, while Selangor's Aerial Rizqi-Uzlifatil Jannah Ashraf secured the bronze medal with 216.36 points. Uzlifatil later returned to the pool and won the girls' 1m springboard gold with 216.30 points, while Dayang Nursharzyra completed the podium with 209.15 points.