Exclusive | Tokyo Olympics: Siobhan Haughey hopes double silver helps Hongkongers ‘stay united’ through ‘all the ups and downs’
- Haughey says she wants to share her medals with Hongkongers so they ‘can touch them, feel them, take photos with them and be inspired by them’
- The 23-year-old is hoping that people will now support athletes at every major competition and not just once every four years during the Olympics
With two Olympic silver medals tucked away in a suitcase in the corner of her room, Siobhan Haughey is enjoying a much-needed break in quarantine at a hotel in Wan Chai. She has been “chilling”, replying to the hundreds of messages she has received over the past two weeks, watching the Olympics and enjoying some treats – including croissants – sent by friends and family.
“I’ve been catching up on my sleep,” said Haughey with a chuckle. “It’s great to have some alone time, and I’m trying to stay active and do some minimal work for 30 minutes every day, and after I’m done with quarantine I’ll be in Hong Kong until mid August.”
The medals Haughey collected are a first for Hong Kong, two in one Games, and the University of Michigan graduate fully intends to share the experience with her fellow Hongkongers, who flooded malls and pavements shoulder to shoulder to watch her swim.
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Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey on the Tokyo Olympics, her historic silvers and future plans
“Especially in Hong Kong winning a medal is so hard and precious and so rare that I want to take it out and show everyone. I want them to see them and touch them and take photos with them and be inspired by them. I don’t want them to just be sitting in my room somewhere. Hopefully I can show them to some kids or teenagers or anyone and when they feel them and touch them they are inspired by them, and they can go on and chase their dreams.”