{
  "id": 3727457,
  "title": "'Maybe, but...': Diver Pandelela refuses to make retirement call",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/maybe-but-diver-pandelela-refuses-to-make-retirement-call",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T11:17:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2026/08/1520095/maybe-diver-pandelela-refuses-make-retirement-call"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR - Despite turning 33, world-class Malaysian diver Pandelela Rinong has no intention of retiring from the sport. Instead, the two-time Olympian is concentrating on securing a medal at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan from September 19 to October 4. Pandelela demonstrated her continued relevance by securing the women's 10m platform title at the National Selection Championships earlier this year, a victory that served as a morale booster following injuries, such as a triceps issue, that had hampered her World Cup and World Championship preparations.\n\nThe diver is currently undergoing rigorous training in Kuala Lumpur, with plans to undergo a three-week training camp in China before heading directly to Japan for the Asian Games. Pandelela, while open to the possibility that Aichi-Nagoya could be her final Asian Games appearance, stressed that she is not making any premature decisions about her future. \"Maybe, but I am only focusing on the present,\" she said.\n\nHaving amassed vast experience at the highest level, Pandelela has won a bronze medal in the platform individual at the 2012 London Olympics and a silver and bronze at the platform synchro at Rio 2016. She has also collected five Asian Games medals, including a silver and bronze from Guangzhou 2010 and bronze at Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2022. Amidst the challenges of competing at an advanced stage of her career, Pandelela emphasized the importance of taking care of herself and striking the right balance between training and recovery. \"I always take better care of myself and focus on maintaining a balance between training and recovery,\" she stated.\n\nAs for her target in Aichi-Nagoya, Pandelela expressed her intention to avoid placing undue pressure on herself, instead aiming to give her best performance, with any medal being a bonus. \"I hope we can do our best there. If we can perform at our best, a medal will be a bonus,\" she added.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Her love for diving and the desire to continue contributing to the country have kept Pandelela Rinong from contemplating retirement despite being 33.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}