Stephanie Au aims to break the one-minute barrier at Tokyo Games as she bids farewell to the Olympics
- She will become the first swimmer to have competed in four Olympics after achieving the Olympic A qualification standard in the women’s 100m backstroke
- The part-time model and charity worker is named joint female 2019 Swimmer of the Year by the Hong Kong Coaches Association
Swimmer Stephanie Au Hoi-shun is aiming to break the one-minute barrier at this year’s Tokyo Games as she looks to end a storied career on a high note.
No Hong Kong swimmer has ever swum under one minute in the women’s 100 metres backstroke and the 27-year-old part-time model hopes to become the first to reach the magical mark as she targets Tokyo in her last hurrah as a competitive swimmer.
Au will become the only Hong Kong swimmer in history to take part in four Olympics this summer and the popular athlete hopes to make it an Olympics to remember having smashed the “A” qualifying standard in her pet event at the World Cup series in Singapore last August at the height of the Hong Kong protests. She narrowly made the flight to Singapore when Hong Kong airport was brought to a near standstill after hundreds of protesters blocked travellers from leaving the city.
In the Lion City, the swimmer, who has appeared in TV commercials and has done her bit for charity, won bronze, finishing behind Australia’s Emily Seebohm and Hungary’s three-time Olympic champion, Katinka Hosszu.
“It’s going to be my fourth Olympic Games and I think it’s time to leave the sport and hopefully end my career on a high note,” said Au, who is one of Hong Kong’s most popular athletes.