Diving event pits China-trained bets

LOS BAÑOS — It will be a question of which country has got the better training in China when diving competitions of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games is held beginning today at the Trace Aquatics Center here.

All six countries seeing action in the event — Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines — have one way or the other honed up their skills and talent in China, making it a virtual showdown of China-trained bets in the four-day affair.

"All of the six countries participating here have trained in China but we have our own share of China training and we’ll be relying heavily from that experience," said diving official Evan Alvia.

The pair of Sheila Mae Perez and Ceseil Domenios seeks to improve on their bronze medal finish in the 2003 Hanoi Games in the 3m synchronized at 9 a.m. while Ceseil’s elder brother Zardo competes in the men’s 1m springboard, an event making a return after it was dropped off the SEAG calendar in Hanoi.

Domenios took home a silver medal in the 3m synchronized springboard with Niño Carog and a bronze in the 3m springboard in Hanoi. He also won a bronze in the 3m springboard in the 2001 SEAG in Kuala Lumpur.

He’s hoping to finally strike gold this time.

"We’re confident of our chances, we have a strong chance of winning a gold medal," Alvia said.

Alvia is confident his team’s five-month training in the Mainland and a pair of strong finishes in two recent Asian events will serve them well in the event as they try to match, if not improve on their solid performance in Vietnam where they copped six medals, two of each kind, to win the overall crown.

Focus will also be on the Malaysians, who have reportedly been in and out of China for more than a year.

"Their (Malaysia) budget is 1,000 times more than what we have in diving in the Philippines," said Alvia. "It’s like what we get for a year, they get for just a month."

Alvia said they decided to compete in only two of the three events today instead of all three to concentrate on the 3m women’s synchronized where RP has the better chance of snaring the gold medal.

"We’ll be joining just two of the three events lined up on Day 1 because we want to maximize our chances," Alvia said, referring to Ceseil who was supposed to team up with Andrea Marie Rafanan in the 10m synchronized platform.

Meanwhile, swimming chief Mark Joseph said they’d be holding their own opening ceremony for all aquatics participants at 1 p.m., hours before the grand inaugurals is held at the Luneta Park.

Swimming, which stakes a total of 32 gold medals, makes its splash on Tuesday.