Kuala Lumpur:Yong Rui Jie and Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohamad Nazim expressed that their lower degree of difficulty (DD) in dives was a key factor in missing a podium finish at the men's 3-metre springboard synchronized event during the 4th Malaysia Open Diving Championships held at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the pair, who are bronze medallists from the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, finished in fourth place with 349.20 points. The event was won by the United States duo of Quentin Henninger and John Ryan, who scored 383.49 points. Russian divers Aleksandr Cherepakhin and Aleksandr Kalashnikov secured silver with 365.19 points, while Japan's Rikuto Tamai and Ikuma Senri took bronze with 362.55 points.

Nurqayyum noted that despite their consistent performance without major mistakes across all six rounds, the higher degree of difficulty in their competitors' dives, mostly in the 3.4 range, was crucial. He stated, "The difference in the degree of difficulty between us and the top pairs proved to be our undoing." He also mentioned that this year's competition was more challenging due to the presence of strong teams from the US, Russia, and Japan.

Rui Jie shared that the competition was a valuable opportunity to evaluate their performance against leading diving nations. He remarked, "We are here to learn what sets them apart from us and then assess our performances and see where our weaknesses are."

In other events, national divers Lee Yiat Qing and Hui Xue Teng placed 11th and 12th in the women's 3m springboard individual event, scoring 229.30 and 203.05 points, respectively. Japan's Sayaka Mikami claimed gold with 300.40 points, while Americans Sophie Verzyl and Kristen Hayden took silver and bronze with 295.70 and 286.70 points, respectively. The championships are set to conclude tomorrow.