IN troubled times like this, national diver Pandelela Rinong is still finding a reason to stay positive and put up a smile daily.

And the three-time Olympian has more reasons to keep up the good spirits after Fina, the world governing body for aquatics, highlighted some of her best dives from the previous editions of the World Championships.

Titled the “Top Three Dives” series, Fina featured three of the Sarawak-born’s best efforts in the past — two from the 2015 Kazan edition and one from last year’s Gwangju edition, on Sunday.

It was certainly noteworthy given how the 27-year-old has remained one of the world’s elite divers for more than a decade.

It is also an encouraging gesture as Pandelela, as well as all the other national divers, are grounded from training due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO).

For her part, the two-time Olympic medallist has also taken to social media to play a role in keeping the public in good spirits.

“This was supposed to be the Olympic year but not anymore as four years of hard work will now be extended by another year,” said Pandelela on her Instagram page.

“Usually at this time of the year, I would be outside the county preparing for the World Cup, which was supposed to be the last competition before the Olympics.

“But since the situation has changed, I do feel stressed as my plans have been disrupted.

“I also empathise with other athletes who have come this far just like me and now we’ll have to prepare longer whilst thinking about how it will affect their mental and physical state.

“But on the other hand, I’m still glad because health and safety are equally important for athletes and it’s also a good opportunity for us to improve on our weaknesses.

“We should not worry about things we can’t control. Just be kind and take good care of yourself.”

Pandelela, who last saw action in March where she grabbed silver with Leong Mun Yee in the 10m platform synchro at the Montreal World Series, is certainly on the right track in keeping herself positive as diving competitions may not return to the calendar for a lengthy period.

With the Tokyo Olympics postponed until next year, and the fate of the postponed World Cup still in the dark, it is going to be a very long road for the national divers.