Cheong Jun Hoong

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Cheong Jun Hoong 张俊虹

| image =

| caption = 2017 Women 10 Meter Platform Diving World Champion

| native_name =

| nickname = Jun

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|4|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

| nationality = Malaysian

| residence =

| height = 1.5 m{{cite web |url=http://gms.kualalumpur2017.com.my/RS2017/Athlete/ProfilePage/5731 |title=Cheong Jun Hoong |website=Kuala Lumpur 2017 |accessdate=21 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820214729/http://gms.kualalumpur2017.com.my/RS2017/Athlete/ProfilePage/5731 |archive-date=20 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}

| country = Malaysia

| event = 10 m, 10 m synchro, 3 m, 1 m

| club =

| partner = Pandelela Rinong

| coach = Yang Zhuliang

| retired = January 4, 2022{{Cite web|date=4 January 2022|title=Former diving world champ Jun Hoong retires|url=https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2022/01/760115/former-diving-world-champ-jun-hoong-retires|url-status=live|access-date=4 January 2022|website=New Straits Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104041817/https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2022/01/760115/former-diving-world-champ-jun-hoong-retires |archive-date=4 January 2022 }}

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{MAS}} }}

| show-medals = yes

| fullname = Cheong Jun Hoong

| altname =

| training =

| level =

| natlteam =

}}

Cheong Jun Hoong ({{zh|s=張俊虹|p= Zhāng Jùnhóng}}) {{post-nominals|post-noms=AMN}} (born 16 April 1990) is a retired Malaysian diver.{{cite web |url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/cheong-jun-hoong-1123025/ |title=Cheong Jun Hoong |work=2012 Summer Olympics |accessdate=31 August 2012 |archive-date=31 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831153502/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/cheong-jun-hoong-1123025/ |url-status=dead }} She won a silver medal in the synchronised 10m platform event with Pandelela Rinong at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, she became Malaysia's first diving world champion after winning the 10m platform event.

Early and personal life

Cheong Jun Hoong was born in Ipoh, Perak. She is the daughter of Cheong Sun Meng and Leow Lai Kuan.{{Cite news |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/quiet-welcome-for-olympic-medallist-jun-hoong |title=Quiet welcome for Olympic medallist Jun Hoong |last=Sylvia Looi |date=2 September 2016 |work=The Malay Mail Online |access-date=24 July 2017}} She has a younger sister. Her fascination in aquatics began at the age of four. At age nine, she started her training in diving with Perak's state coach, [http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0721/c90000-9244936.html Zhou Xiyang]. In 2004, she was offered a place at the Bukit Jalil Sports School. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communications from Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Career

Cheong won a bronze medal in 1m springboard at the 2010 Asian Games. She made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Olympics where she finished 20th in 3m springboard and eighth in 3m synchronized springboard with Pandelela Rinong.

Cheong represented Malaysia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she competed in the 1 m, 3 m, and 10 m events. She placed 8th in the 1 m event, 12th in the 3 m event, 5th in the 3 m synchronised event, 6th in the 10 m event and 4th in the 10 m synchro event with partner Leong Mun Yee, narrowly losing the bronze medal to fellow athletes Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri. At the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, she won a silver medal in 3m synchro springboard with Ng Yan Yee. She also won a bronze medal in individual 3m event.

In August 2016, she participated at the Rio Summer Olympics in the 3m platform,

10m synchronized platform with Pandelela Rinong and 3m synchronized springboard with Nur Dhabitah Sabri. She won her first Olympic medal, a silver in the 10m synchronized platform with a final score of 344.34. However, she did not qualify for the final of the 3m event. She placed 5th in the 3m synchro event. Due to her persisting back pain, in October 2016 she withdrew from the 2016 in aquatic sports#2016 FINA Diving Grand Prix in Kuching, Sarawak.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/10/181986/diving-injury-forces-jun-hoong-out-world-gp-kuching-leg |title=Diving: Injury forces Jun Hoong out of World GP Kuching leg |author=Ajitpal Singh |date=20 October 2016 |work=New Straits Times |access-date=24 July 2017}}

In June 2017, Cheong returned from a back injury to win the bronze medal in the 1m springboard event at the 7th Asian Diving Cup in Macau after withdrawing from the Kazan and Windsor legs of the 2017 FINA Diving World Series earlier.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2017/06/249737/dhabitah-jun-hoong-podium-asian-diving-cup |title=Dhabitah, Jun Hoong on podium in Asian Diving Cup |last=Ajitpal Singh |date=17 June 2017 |work=New Straits Times |access-date=24 July 2017}} Cheong became Malaysia's first diving World Champion, when she took home the gold medal in the 10m platform event in the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, pipping her closest rival by just 1.5 points.{{cite web |url=http://www.pulse.ng/sports/other_sports/cheong-jun-hoong-malaysia-pips-china-in-10m-platform-for-historic-gold-id7018603.html |title=Cheong Jun Hoong Malaysia pips China in 10m platform for historic gold |publisher=Pulse News Agency International for AFP |date=20 July 2017 |accessdate=22 July 2017}} Four of the seven judges gave a perfect 10 on her best dive in the competition, and she finished with an overall score of 397.5.{{cite web |author=Paul Newberry |url=https://apnews.com/0a50c0620701400697212be34c3084a6/Cheong-gives-Malaysia-first-gold-ever-at-world-aquatics-meet |title=Cheong gives Malaysia first gold ever at world aquatics meet |publisher=Associated Press |date=21 July 2017 |accessdate=22 July 2017}} She also won a bronze in the 10m synchronized 10 platform event with Pandelela Rinong with a total score of 328.74.

Cheong was chosen as one of the flag-bearers for Malaysia at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games alongside two reigning world champions cyclist Azizulhasni Awang and silat exponent Mohd Al-Jufferi Jamari.

=Retirement=

On 4 January 2022, Cheong announced her retirement after her contract as a full-time athlete with the National Sports Council and Malaysia Swimming was not renewed.{{Cite web|date=4 January 2022|title=Former diving world champ Jun Hoong retires|url=https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2022/01/760115/former-diving-world-champ-jun-hoong-retires|url-status=live|access-date=4 January 2022|website=New Straits Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104041817/https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2022/01/760115/former-diving-world-champ-jun-hoong-retires |archive-date=4 January 2022 }} One of the reasons Cheong provided for her retirement was a second knee injury she acquired in 2018 and had not been able to re-achieve a certain level of performance since then.[https://www.fina.org/news/2440307/jun-hoong-malaysias-first-world-champion-diver-calls-end-to-her-breakthrough-career "Jun Hoong, Malaysia's first world champion diver, calls time on her breakthrough career"]. FINA. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.

Awards

OCM-Coca-Cola Olympian Award: 2016{{Cite news |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/sports/article/chong-wei-pandelela-jun-hoong-picked-as-2016-olympic-council-malaysia-coca |title=Chong Wei, Pandelela-Jun Hoong picked as 2016 OCM-Coca-Cola Olympian award winners |date=9 November 2016 |work=The Malay Mail Online |access-date=24 July 2017}}
National Sportswoman of the Year: 2017{{Cite news |url=https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2018/03/344913/azizulhasni-jun-hoong-honoured-national-sports-awards-nsttv |title=Azizulhasni, Jun Hoong honoured at National Sports Awards [NSTTV] |author=Aida Adilah Mat |date=14 March 2018 |work=New Straits Times |access-date=15 March 2018}}

Honours

= Honours of Malaysia =

{{Flag|Malaysia}} :
50px Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (A.M.N.) (2017){{cite news |title=Chong Wei all fired up |date=10 September 2017 |author=Rajes Paul |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/badminton/2017/09/10/chong-wei-all-fired-up-good-things-whet-world-no-7s-appetite-for-glory/ |work=The Star |accessdate=28 July 2018}}{{cite web |url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp/ |title=Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat |access-date=25 August 2018 |archive-date=19 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719195551/http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp |url-status=dead}}

References

External links

{{FINA}}
{{Olympics.com}}
{{Olympedia}}
{{CGF profile}}
{{2006 Commonwealth Games profile}}
{{2010 Commonwealth Games profile|552686}}
{{2014 Commonwealth Games profile}}
{{2018 Commonwealth Games profile|diving/athlete-profile-n6031814-jun-hoong-cheong}}

{{Footer Commonwealth Champions Women Synchronized 10 Metre Platform}}

Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Ipoh

Category:Malaysian sportspeople of Chinese descent

Category:Malaysian female divers

Category:University of Putra Malaysia alumni

Category:Olympic divers for Malaysia

Category:Divers at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Category:Divers at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Divers at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Category:Divers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games