Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey swims world’s third-fastest time of the year for 200m freestyle at Olympic trial
- The 23-year-old Tokyo Games hope sets a Hong Kong record with an impressive one minute, 54.89 seconds at the Sports Institute
- Cheuk Ming-ho keeps pushing for a ticket to Tokyo with outstanding swim in the 200m freestyle while Lau Shiu-yue breaks 21-year-old Hong Kong record in the men’s 200-metre backstroke
Siobhan Haughey swam the world’s third fastest time of the year for the 200 metre freestyle as the Hong Kong swimming star sounded a warning to rivals ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer.
At the Hong Kong Long Course Time Trial II, which took place at the Sports Institute on Sunday, the 23-year-old shattered her own Hong Kong record in the event with a time of one minute, 54.89 seconds – beating second-placed Ho Nam-wai by a big margin with the latter finishing in 2:02.34. Haughey’s previous best was 1:54.98 when she came fourth at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
The result not only improved the Hong Kong record, but also brought Haughey her best result compared to the world’s top swimmers, all of whom are gearing towards the Tokyo Olympics with just a few months to go.
Last month, China’s Yang Junxuan clocked 1:54.70 at the Chinese Swimming Series in Guangdong and although it has yet to be ratified by world governing body Fina, the 17-year-old broke the previous Asian record of 1:54.85 held by Japan’s Rikako Ikee. The fastest time of the year so far is by American Katie Ledecky, the five-time Olympic gold medallist who won last week’s TYR Pro Swim Series at Mission Viejo in 1:54.40.
Haughey also set a Hong Kong record in the 50-metre freestyle in 24.83, an Olympic B qualification mark and won the 100-metre freestyle in 53.65, which is within the A qualifying standard that she already achieved in 2019.
Sunday’s meet was the second home qualifiers in just over a month during Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. It was another opportunity for Cheuk Ming-ho who continued his push for a ticket to Tokyo in the closed-door event at the Fo Tan training complex.
After setting two Hong Kong records in the men’s 200-metre and 800-metre freestyle in the last meet, both under the Olympic B qualification marks, the 18-year-old prodigy further improved his records. Sunday’s result in the 200-metre freestyle, in 1:47.97, moved him closer to the A standard of 1:47.02 – a massive improvement on his previous of best 1:48.46.
Cheuk also broke his own 400-metre freestyle record when clocking 3:50.53, another B standard. Should no other Hong Kong male swimmer attain an A standard when the qualification campaign ends in June, Cheuk is likely to be considered by Fina for a wild card into the Tokyo Games.
