Pandelela was born in Kupuo Jugan, a Bidayuh village in Bau, Sarawak to Hartini Lamim and Pamg Joheng. She is of Bidayuh ethnicity, a Bumiputera native to the Malaysian state of Sarawak. She is the second of four siblings. At the age of seven she was selected as a state diver and continued her training at the Bukit Jalil Sports School. She graduated from University of Malaya in 2018, majoring in Sports Management Science. Pandelela speaks Mandarin Chinese as well as her Bidayuh mother tongue, Bahasa Malaysia and English.
Career
Pandelela made her international competition debut in 2007 at the Asian Junior Aquatics Championships where she won four gold medals. At the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, she won the gold medal in 10m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong. Pandelela made her Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a 15-year-old. She finished 27th in the 10 m platform. At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, she finished fifth in the 10 m platform. She went on to win the bronze medal in the 10 m synchronized platform with Leong Mun Yee where it was also the first-ever diving medal for Malaysia at the World Championships. Pandelela won two gold medal at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane. She was the flag bearer for the Malaysian contingent at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore where she won the silver medals in the 10 m platform event and 3 m springboard event. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, she won Malaysia's first ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in an aquatic sport by winning the 10 m platform event. At the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, she won the bronze medal in 10 m platform and the silver medal in 10m synchronized platform with Leong Mun Yee. Pandelela was chosen to be the flag bearer of Malaysia at the 2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations where she is first national female athlete to be accorded the honour. She competed in the individual 10 m platform, 3m synchronized springboard with Cheong Jun Hoong and the 10 m synchronised platform event with Leong Mun Yee. She became the first Malaysian female athlete to win an Olympics medal, and the first Malaysian athlete to win an Olympics medal in a sport besides badminton by winning a bronze medal in the 10 m platform at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. To commemorate her success, she was presented with the Johan Bintang Kenyalang by the Sarawak State Government, in a special investiture ceremony held at the Astana shortly after her triumphant return to her homeland. She became Sarawak's first athlete to be accorded with the award. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Pandelela and Mun Yee clinch the bronze medal in 10m synchronized platform with 331.14 points. She also finished sixth in individual 10m platform event. At the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Naypyidaw, she retained her gold medal in 10m platform event. Pandelela competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Despite a knee injury, she won the bronze medal in 10m synchronized platform with Nur Dhabitah Sabri. She also bagged a silver in the 10m platform with a score of 368.55 points. At the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, she won the bronze medal in 10 m synchro platform with Leong Mun Yee. In July 2015, Pandelela made history when she became the first Malaysian to finish on the podium in an individual event at the World Aquatics Championships. She clinched a bronze medal in the individual 10 m platform in Kazan and qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she won the silver medal in the 10 m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong, becoming the first Malaysian women's team to win a silver medal at the Olympics. In honour of her achievement at the 2016 Summer Olympics, The Sarawak Aquatic Centre in Petra Jaya, Sarawak was officially named Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre. After 2016 Summer Olympics, Pandelela took a break to recuperate from back and shoulder injuries. At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, she won the bronze medal in 10 m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong. She finished ninth in the individual 10m platform which was won by her partner, Jun Hoong. At the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, she won the gold medal in newly introduced team event with Gabriel Gilbert Daim. She also retained her gold medal in the individual 10m platform event.
Awards
SAM-100PLUS Best Athlete: 2010, 2012, 2015
National Sportswoman of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2015
In June 2018, Pandelela and six other divers were caught in controversy after a video showed them partying and drinking alcohol during a training camp in Guangzhou, China. The video was allegedly recorded on the eve of Chinese New Year day. Following the incident, the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia suspended the allowances of the seven national divers with immediate effect with more disciplinary action set to follow. Pandelela and the six other divers apologised publicly and promised the incident will not be repeated. ASUM announced later that no further action will be taken to the seven divers as the divers have already expressed remorse for their actions.
