Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey grabs gold in France, as teammate Chillingworth targets spot at Paris Olympics
- Haughey makes flying start to Mare Nostrum Swim Tour, winning 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle in France
- Hong Kong has sent a squad of nine swimmers to first leg of Olympic qualifying series, with Adam Chillingworth racing in breaststroke
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey made a flying start to the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour in France on Sunday, winning both the 100-metre breaststroke and the 200m freestyle.
The Mare Nostrum is a three-part annual Mediterranean meet that spans three countries over nine days. Hong Kong has nine swimmers competing at the Olympic qualifying event that started in Canet-en-Roussillon on Saturday.
Haughey’s first race was the 100m breaststroke, an event she won bronze in at the World Aquatics Championships in February.
Despite finishing sixth overall in the heats, Haughey touched the wall in one minute and 7.01 seconds to overcome tough competition from Japan’s Reona Aoki, who was tipped to win the race.
Japanese national record holder Aoki, who was the top seed for the race, was 0.8 seconds behind Haughey.
However, it was in Haughey’s preferred event, the 200m freestyle, where she hit the gas, winning in 1:55.39.
