KUALA LUMPUR: The men's 3m springboard synchro pairing of Ooi Tze Liang-Syafiq Puteh have to up their game if they are to make the Hangzhou Asian Games podium in two months.
Tze Liang-Syafiq have their work cut out for them after they could only place 19th in the men's 3m springboard preliminaries at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, today.
The Malaysian duo were seventh after the first two compulsory dives, but plunged after the optional dives started.
They finished the six-dive competition with 326.73 points just behind the South Korean pair of Woo Ha Ram-Yi Jae Gyeong (331.62), and did not qualify for the top 12 final.
In fact, Japan's Haruki Suyama-Yuto Araki are showing their Asian Games potential after not just qualifying for the final but coming in seventh out of the 12 finalists with 375.90 points.
Tze Liang was teamed up with Syafiq to prepare for the Asian Games mission after his long-time partner, Chew Yiwei retired from the senior national team in April to focus on his studies.
Tze Liang had been partnering Yiwei for this event in major competitions over the last few years.
China, as expected, swept the gold through Wang Zongyuan-Long Daoyi who finished the final with a 456.33 points.
Zongyuan, only 21, is the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist with Xie Siyi in the 3m springboard synchro and silver medallist behind his senior teammate in the individual event.
Britain's Jack Laugher-Anthony Harding claimed silver with 424.62 points ahead of French pair Alexis Jandard-Jules Bouyer (389.10).
Malaysia's Jellson Jabillin partnered Nur Eilisha Rania to finish 12th in the mixed 10m platform synchro final with 251.64 points.
China's Wang Feilong-Zhang Jiaqi took gold with 339.54 while Mexicans Jose Balleza Isaias-Viviana Del Angel Peniche earned the silver with 313.44.
There were big cheers for hosts Japan after Hiroki Ito-Minami Itahashi clinched the nation's first medal in the world meet after finishing third in the final with 305.34 points.
