Hong Kong teen Haughey set to leave swimming world in her wake
Siobhan Bernadette Haughey, 15, took the 100m freestyle gold at world junior championships in Dubai ... and says she can go faster still
With the confidence of youth, Siobhan Bernadette Haughey says she can swim faster. That is very good news for Hong Kong swimming, which just over a fortnight ago discovered that it had a diamond in the rough in its midst, which with some polish might be able to sparkle brighter than any swimmer from this city ever has.
Haughey, 15, grabbed the international limelight last month when she became the first local swimmer to win a gold medal at the world junior championships. The St Paul's Secondary School student won the blue riband race, the 100 metres freestyle, at the fourth edition of the competition held in Dubai, in the process defeating an Olympic gold medallist and world record holder.
Her time of 54.47 seconds was a personal best and broke the meet record (54.90) set by American Lia Neal in 2011. She came within a tenth of a second of breaking Hannah Wilson's Hong Kong record (54.35), which seems bound to fall soon.
"I can swim faster," says Haughey as she sips a glass of water in the company of her father Darach and mother Canjo at Hong Kong Football Club. "There is a lot of room for improvement and I know I can do better."
I’ll be slightly sad when she breaks my record, but proud … it won’t take long either
Haughey is already the talking point of the local swimming community. Three-time Olympian Wilson, who sometimes does dry-land training with her, says: "Siobhan's work ethic will lead her to great things. She has so much potential - I will be slightly sad when she breaks my record, but proud at the same time. I know she's going to do it and it won't take long either."
Another Olympian, Annemarie Munk, said: "She is the future of Hong Kong swimming. Her victory was world class."
