SEA Games: Singapore diver Freida Lim’s scramble for new university finds sweet end in silver medal

KUALA LUMPUR — Just five months ago, Singaporean diver Freida Lim found herself in limbo after Clemson University, where she was enrolled on a full athletic scholarship, suddenly cancelled its women’s diving programme. 

The 19-year-old was forced to send out emails and videos of her dives to other American universities in a search for another school, before she was eventually accepted at the University of Georgia, located some 118km away. 

But the inconvenience did little to distract the teenager from her SEA Games goal, as she claimed a silver in the women’s 10m platform on Monday (Aug 28) to end Singapore’s 36-year silver-medal drought at the regional event. 

Annisa Tai was the last female diver to win an individual silver medal in the sport, at the 1981 SEA Games in Manila, when she finished second in the women’s 10m platform.

Malaysia’s two-time Olympic medallist Pandelela Rinong Anak Pamg took the gold after racking up a huge lead with her total of 341.65, with Lim second (274.65) and Malaysia’s Kimberly Bong third with 255.05.

“I was surprised to hear that I had won a first individual medal (in 36 years) and I found out about it only after my event,” said Lim on Monday.

“I wasn’t so happy with my performance as I was expecting to do better, but I’m pretty happy to accomplish this for my country.

“Having to change schools in the summer was a little disruptive as I had to start from scratch, but I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out.”

Singapore won a second diving silver as well as a bronze on Monday as Joshua Chong and Ashlee Tan finished runners-up in the mixed synchronised 3m springboard final while Mark Lee was third in the men’s 1m springboard.

Lim is pencilled in for two more events, the mixed synchronised 10m platform with Jonathan Chan on Tuesday, and Wednesday’s women’s synchronised 10m platform final with Myra Lee. 

Having travelled many kilometres from the United States to compete for Singapore here in Kuala Lumpur, Lim is relishing the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the sport’s giants, including Malaysia’s newly-crowned world champion Cheong Jun Hoong and Pandelela. 

She added: “I learnt a lot from them … they look so composed during competitions. They’re all really nice and I talk to them occasionally. Every time I see Jun Hoong, I’m like ‘whoa’. She’s in a different league, she looks quite serious all the time ... I’m too scared to talk to her!”