Pandelela Rinong is a name known to most Malaysians; from the die-hard sports enthusiast to the casual observer.
Earning her place in the spotlight with her many wins at various international diving competitions, Pandelela solidified her position as a world-class athlete by grabbing a Bronze medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Since then, Pandelela who hails from Sarawak has been building up her collection of medals with wins at various other international competitions and is fast becoming the ‘It’ girl of Malaysian sports and one whom our country is pinning its 2016 Olympic dreams on.
This PurelyB Ambassador was also crowned the SAM-100Plus 2015 Athlete of the Year yesterday, edging out formidable competition such as our national badminton champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei; the queen of squash Datuk Nicol David; world silat champion Mohd Al-Jufri Jamari and wushu exponent, Loh Jack Chang in a voting process by members of the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM).
Poised to bring fame and glory with her graceful yet powerful diving prowess, Pandelela looks set to wow her fans and gain some new ones at the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics in August. Like any other professional athlete, Pandelela has been preparing herself both mentally and physically for what many consider to be the ultimate sporting event in an athlete’s career.
When it comes to what she eats prior to training, Pandelela is mindful of what she fuels her body with. “Usually before training, I won’t take much carbohydrates, oily food and desserts,” she divulges. This extends to her diet during her rigorous training period as well, and the young diver, currently undergoing intense preparations for the upcoming Olympics, reveals that she needs her daily dose of nourishing soupy goodness. There’s an emphasis on proteins, too.
“In China, the diet I have consists of a high intake of protein and fibre; while carbs are on the average side. I also developed the habit of having soup every day,” explains the diver who along with the rest of the Malaysian diving team, will be based in China for their training until the Olympics.
Pandelela takes PurelyB on a run-through of her daily routine, which starts fresh and early at 7.30am, with a hearty breakfast. Training begins at 9.30am till 12pm, and lunch follows suit. Her secret to keeping up her energy levels throughout the day? Naps.
“I take a nap for about two hours before resuming my training from 3-6pm,'' she says with a grin. “After dinner, I perform some recovery treatment by myself before bedtime, which is anytime between 10.30 to 11.30pm.”
Mental preparation is as crucial as physical sustenance and Pandelela is a huge believer of mind over matter. She feels that visualising her dives and movements has a great impact on her overall performance. She also credits her faith in helping her to get the boost she needs. “I spend some time doing some visualisation training of my dives, and recite my prayers every day.”
We at PurelyB are doing our part in our diving princesses’ journey to the Olympics by providing holistic support and guidance. Our celebrity trainer Dave Catudal is supporting Pandelela with health, nutrition and fitness advice as well as with his own brand of supplements. PurelyB sponsors some of Pandelela’s supplements to support her during her training. “The supplements help keep my energy levels up during training and increase my recovery speed. I usually feel tired after the third day of training but after consuming the supplements, my body can stand the training until the sixth day of the week,” she reveals.
Apart from this, PurelyB takes every opportunity to touch base with Pandalela whenever she’s back in Kuala Lumpur and do our part by making her life just a little easier by providing her with healthy meals prepared by our partners for her convenience.
The Rio 2016 Olympics is not far off and by the looks of things, Pandelela seems to have things under control. Our Malaysian diving powerhouse looks set to make her country proud!
We’re behind you all the way, Pandelela!
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