Cheong Jun Hoong: The Upset Night Malaysia Got Its First Diving World Champion
In July 2017 at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Cheong Jun Hoong completed a stunning upset. She won the women’s 10m platform final with 397.50 points, edging China’s Si Yajie and Ren Qian to become Malaysia’s first-ever diving world champion — lifting this Southeast Asian nation’s diving achievement to an unprecedented height.
Cheong’s crowning dive in Budapest
The final stayed in the balance to the last dive. Not favoured after the semi-finals, she peaked in the final, building steadily before producing a high-quality, high-difficulty final dive that lifted her score sharply to overtake her formidable Chinese rivals by a slim margin. Si Yajie took silver with 396.00 and Ren Qian bronze with 391.95 — beating Chinese stars amid a sport they nearly monopolise made the gold’s value plain, and brought Malaysians to tears.
A late bloomer’s persistence
Unlike many divers who shine young, her brightest moment came later, making it all the weightier. For years she trained quietly through dips in form, injuries and outside doubt, never abandoning her dream of the world summit. To polish herself into a world No. 1 in a non-traditional environment took not just talent but accumulated will — the most moving part of her story, and a lesson that success may not come early but belongs to those who refuse to quit.
Olympic silver with Pandelela
Before her individual title she had partnered Pandelela Rinong to win silver in the women’s synchronised 10m platform at Rio 2016. From Olympic medal to world title, she lifted Malaysian diving step by step and, with her teammate, built the most glorious stretch in the nation’s diving history before retiring later in her career.
Meaning beyond the gold
Her world title was more than a medal. With China long dominating, a Malaysian winning at the highest level signalled to Southeast Asia and the world that scientific training and a resilient mind can shake supposed certainties. Her success won local diving more attention and resources and gave successors belief against strong rivals — that a world champion really could be one of “ours.”
For more local sporting legends, browse the Malaysia Sports column; follow live World Cup action at the Live Scores Centre and check the full fixtures.
