Chinese coaches made remarkable contributions to Malaysia’s first ever win of a gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest on July 20 in the women's 10m platform event.

The medal, won by 27-year-old athlete Cheong Jun Hoong, is a major breakthrough for Malaysia. The victory has brought to fore efforts made by Chinese coaches in recent years.

According to Yang Zhuliang, head coach of the Malaysian diving team, Jun Hoong started diving training at the age of nine under the direction of former Beijing diving coach, Zhou Xiyang.

Yang, a former coach of China’s national diving team, said there was no diving team in Malaysia in the past. It was Chinese coaches who introduced training methods in the country.

Today, Malaysia continues to make progress in diving as Chinese coaches keep nurturing talents.

Liu Jirong, one of the coaches of China’s dream diver Gao Min, was the first Chinese coach to train Malaysian divers. Under her guidance, the country established a national diving team and improved training facilities.

Ever since, more Chinese coaches have gone to Malaysia, including Ren Shaofen who coached Olympic gold medalist, Chen Ruolin.

There are now four coaches for Malaysia’s national diving team, with 15 athletes.

“Chinese coaches have impacted senior Malaysian sports officials by their dedication and professionalism,” Yang said, adding that this points to confidence in and recognition of Chinese coaches.