Thanks To Her Favourite Bunny, This 2-Year-Old Is Now A Malaysia Record Holder
Kiara Belle Kit earned a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records for ‘The Longest Distance Swimming By A Toddler’ under the Sports and Games category!
By John Lim — 05 Feb 2016, 05:40 PM
23-month-old toddler Kiara Belle Kit may not be able to walk steadily yet, but she's already a record holder in swimming!
The cute and bubbly Kiara swam 199.35m in 25 minutes and 38 seconds in a pool at Mont Kiara to earn her a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records for ‘The Longest Distance Swimming By A Toddler’
The previous record was held for 13 years by an unnamed toddler, aged two years and six months, who swam 50m in a pool in 2003.
But just like all children, she needed some help from her parents and a little bunny named Toby
It was no walk in the park for Kiara as a lacklustre start nearly devolved into a botched attempt and her parents, Cindy Ong and Tang Kit, had to bring in Toby the rabbit as a backup plan. Tang said his daughter was slowing down by the 100m mark but the sight of Toby, a family friend's pet and her favourite rabbit, reinvigorated the child.
Two passers-by with their dogs also stopped by to cheer Kiara on. The act boosted Kiara's confidence due to her love for animals.
"She was having difficulties swimming due to the many distractions. However, the animals really helped. Kiara loves animals,” said her father Tang Kit.
It is hardly surprising that Kiara managed to set the record as she comes from a family of swimmers
Her mother Cindy was a former Malaysian national athlete who qualified for the 2004 Olympics in Athens and won six gold medals in the 2004 Sukma, breaking several national records in the process.
Cindy's brother Allen Ong was also a national swimmer who participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics, while their aunt Ong Mei Lin was Malaysia's first woman Olympian swimmer who participated in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Cindy, who is now a full-time swimming instructor taught Kiara how to swim when she was around 8 months old
“I have a pyschology degree, so I apply that when I teach babies and children. I developed my own techniques for children and experimented on Kiara. It seems to work very well,” said Cindy.
When asked if they would be grooming Kiara to become an athlete, Cindy stressed that they would let their daughter decide on whether she wants to be a professional swimmer
"We prefer to just teach her how to swim, then let her decide for herself if she wants to take it a step further when she is grown up," added Cindy.