World Swimming Championships: Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey begins bid for fifth world title
The 2021 short-course 100m freestyle world champion wins her heat, but faces a stiff challenge from Americans Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh
Hong Kong’s most decorated athlete, Siobhan Haughey, has begun her quest to become a five-time world champion at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest on Wednesday, winning her 100 metres freestyle heat in a time of 52.12 seconds.
Haughey, the second fastest overall in the heats, will race in the semi-final at 12.48am on Thursday. The 2021 short-course world champion in the event is expected to progress to the final, which takes place at 12.32am on Friday, Hong Kong time.
However, the 27-year-old will face tough competition from Americans Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh, who won their heats in 52.27 and 51.64, respectively.
On Tuesday, Walsh broke the world record for the women’s 50m butterfly twice, and both swimmers were part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay that also swam a world best.
Douglass was the only woman to swim faster than Haughey in the 100m freestyle at this year’s World Cup where she beat her by 0.74 seconds to win gold at the final stop in Singapore in November.
On Wednesday, Haughey was racing alongside teammate Li Sum-yiu in Heat 6; the 15-year-old came in eighth in 53.41 seconds, just 0.39 seconds off getting a second swim.
