Jun Hoong dives into Tokyo Olympics after successful OCM appeal

Fortune is on Cheong Jun Hoong's side after the Olympic Council of Malaysia's (OCM) appeal over the national diver's Olympic Games qualification status was accepted by FINA.

The former world champion had been ruled out of Tokyo Olympics due to confusion over the qualification, but the reversal was confirmed by Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Malaysia's Minister of Youth and Sports, on Friday.

FINA telah mengesahkan bahawa Cheong Jun Hoong layak untuk ke Olimpik Tokyo 2020 berdasarkan merit ranking 18 terbaik semasa FINA Diving World Cup 2021. Terima kasih OCM dan ASUS atas usaha memastikan skuad terjun negara mendapat tempat selayaknya.#DemiMALAYSIA

— Reezal Merican (@reezal_merican) June 26, 2021

"I was informed by the OCM last night that FINA confirmed that Cheong Jun Hoong qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

"This was based on her 18th-placed finish at the 2021 FINA Diving World Cup that took place in Japan last May.

"Alhamdulillah, this also completed the national line-up alongside Pandelela Rinong, Leong Mun Yee, Wendy Ng Yan Yee and Nur Dhabitah Sabri.

"Thank you to the OCM and Malaysia Swimming for your efforts and hard work," he wrote on Facebook.

In Tokyo, Cheong will compete in the women's 10-metre platform individual event — the event that she bagged the gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest.

She previously achieved a silver medal finish in the women's 10-metre synchronised platform event with Pandelela at the Olympic Games in 2016.