Our April digital cover star, Bertrand Rhodict Lises, is about to make it big as the first Malaysian diver to compete in Paris 2024. Here, he shares some lesser-known facts about himself, including some rather interesting tidbits.
We sit down with Bertrand Rhodict Lises to find out some things that you may or may not yet know about him. The 19-year-old national diver and first-time Olympian dishes on a couple of lesser-known facts about himself, including his favourite treats.
Fun facts about Bertrand Rhodict Lises:
#1. He’s truly not fond of swimming. At the tender age of four, Rhodict already lost interest in the sport. (Meanwhile, his brother and sister were both avid swimmers then.) According to Rhodict, he was “very small and couldn’t reach the end of the pool” and thus, it made for a very frustrating and unsatisfying activity having to keep himself afloat. Even now that he has established himself as a full-time diver, when asked if he would ever return to swimming, his answer is: “No, it’s tiring.”
#2. His favourite treat is Haribo gummies. Specifically, the Happy-Cola flavoured ones. While preparing himself for a diving competition, Rhodict will bring around these Haribo Happy-Cola gummies with him everywhere, just to keep himself calm and his spirits uplifted.
#3. He’s a fan of Drake. Like the Haribo Happy-Cola gummies, Rhodict also listens to some slow-beat music to keep his cool just before the dive. One of his go-to artists, in this case, is Drake.
#4. He has come to quitting before — not once, twice, but three times. “I wanted to quit [diving] three times — when I was seven, eight and nine,” Rhodict shares. “During school holidays, training was a bit easier. But training at the start of the year, when I just began school… that was when I hated it. There was just no time for anything. I hated it so much that I wanted to quit. But I managed to stay — and I’m really glad I did, because it got me to where I am now.”
#5. His greatest strength in diving is in his back and reverse dives, and his weakness… is the twisting technique. “I’m bad with the twisting dive,” Rhodict admits with a laugh. “But I’m good with flips. My twist is very bad, and that’s the hardest element for me to master.
Find out more about BERTRAND RHODICT LISES in the latest issue of LSA Digital Cover Vol. 019 HERE.
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Written by
Puteri Yasmin Suraya
Senior Writer, Features and Tech
Hailing from an English Literature & Creative Writing background, Yasmin has a deep love for fiction and poetry. When she’s not reading or café-hopping, she spends most of her time in the comfort of her own room binge-watching period romances, (badly) belting out show tunes, and curating Spotify playlists to match her mood for the week.
