THE past year has been pretty dry for many athletes due to a lack of activities but masters swimmer Cindy Ong still has a reason to smile.
The 36-year-old managed to maintain her World No 1 status despite swimming in only one event last year — the Japan Masters in January.
In the latest FINA masters rankings released on Feb 18, Cindy is top ranked in the 50m freestyle with a time of 26.71 for the women's 35-39 category.
She is also ranked No 2 in the 100m butterfly with 1:04.31, just slightly behind Spain's Erika Villaecija who posted 1:03.34.
The FINA ranking added more joy to the Ipoh-born Cindy's Chinese New Year celebration.
In 2019, she had made the nation proud by bagging five gold and two silver at the World Masters Championships.
"The ranking means a lot to me because it means that a Malaysian is at the top on the world stage," said Cindy.
"It also means that my training regimen, achievements and hard work have led to this recognition. And it's not just for me and my family but also for my students who look up to me.
"It's never easy staying motivated during this Covid-19 period but I always look at the bigger picture and ultimately, my goal is to break a world record," said Cindy who is preparing for the World Masters Championships in Fukuoka on May 31-June 9 next year.
"As long as I'm not there yet, I won't give up and I'm not letting things like the lack of competitions prevent me from working towards long term goals.
"My goal this year is to continue strengthening my shoulders so that I can get stronger and be more powerful and explosive when I swim.
"On top of that, another way I keep myself motivated is by posting photos and videos of my training on social media," added Cindy who is fairly active on her Instagram account — @cindy_ong_swimmer.