DISTRACTION: Coach expects Pandelela back for training after celebrating Olympic success

PANDELELA Rinong will likely attend her first training session in Bukit Jalil today since her bronze medal dive at last month's London Olympics. The Bidayuh lass, who was given a two-week break from training, has been busy attending functions celebrating her success but national coach Yang Zhuliang wants her back in training fast. The coach does not want her to attend too many functions from today as he feels it will eventually distract her from the sport. Pandelela, the daughter of a manual worker from Kampung Jugan in Sarawak, has received more than RM500,000 in cash and bonds for her achievement from the government and sponsors. "Pandelela must train even harder as she is now an Olympic medallist. She must stop celebrating and focus on becoming better," said Zhuliang yesterday. "Expectations will now be higher and she must be ready for it. I do not want her to get too distracted as she needs to train to achieve greatness. "But frankly, I do not know Pandelela's whereabouts ... she might be in Kuching or Sibu attending functions. I really hope she will report for training tomorrow (today)." Zhuliang wants Pandelela back in training as he wants to prepare the 19-year-old for forthcoming tournaments. He, however, is unsure whether to pick her for the Asian Championships in November. "It will depend on her performance in training. I need to look at other divers but if I do not include Pandelela it does not mean anything as I have other plans for her," Zhuliang added. Zhuliang's coaching future is also in doubt as the China-born has yet to sign a new four-year contract extension, offered by the National Sports Council. His present contract expires next month. Pandelela, said recently she will not get carried away with the attention. "All this fanfare won't last long, it is just temporary. So I don't take all this seriously and am just enjoying it," she said. Her career started seven years ago at the Kedah Malaysia Games where she took six gold medals. "My father always tells us to plan ahead in life. And since then, I have always wanted to go higher in my career," Pandelela added.