BY Manila Standard Today

She was the Philippines’ heartbreak kid in the Doha Asian Games last year when a recurring back injury prevented her from competing against the best divers from Asia.

But in these Southeast Asian Games, Sheila Mae Perez, the small but terrible diver, who turned 22 years old yesterday, is determined to win her share of the gold medals at all cost.

Perez, who became the toast of Philippine sports when she won three gold medals in the Manila SEA Games two years ago, is entered in two events—the 3-meter platform and the 1-m platform—and is tipped to vie for the gold medals in both.

“Siyempre gold ang target ko dito. Laban lang talaga ako. Hindi ko iniisip na matatalo ako,” said Perez, who points to a Malaysian diver as her biggest rival for the top honors.

Perez, who deferred her studies at the Trace Computer College in Laguna, to focus on her training, is one of three women divers in the team. The two other female divers are Fil-Canadian twins Nicole and Dhayna Lemay, who will also see action in the 1-m and 3-m platforms and the synchronized diving event.

Perez’s back spasms haven’t actually fully healed and she needs at least six months of continuing therapy, but the petite diver isn’t about to make this an excuse to back off from the competition set to start tomorrow at the Aquatic Center of the His Majesty’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Stadium.

“Hanggang ngayon nga matigas pa rin ang likod ko, kasi after the Asian Games two months lang ang therapy. Dapat six months. Kaya ang advice na lang sa akin ni Dr. Raul, mag-hot compress na lang ako,” she added.

Perez, who ingests a muscle relaxant to help her cope with the pain in her back, said their two-month training in China also helped her a lot, especially with regards to the new techniques in diving, which her Chinese coach, Zhang Dehu, taught her.

The bemedaled diver explained that a diver must perform five different kinds of dives in both the 3-m and 1-m platform events. These are: flat dive (pike position), back dive (C/tuck position), the reverse dive (C/tuck), the inward dive (pike) and the twist.

“Dati kasi, hirap ako sa inward dive, kasi puwede kang mauntog sa platform doon pag nagkamali ka. Pero ngayon, nakukuha ko na dahil sa turo nu’ng Chinese coach namin,” she said. Arman Armero

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