Tokyo Olympics: Hong Kong on a high as Siobhan Haughey signs off with second silver

The 23-year-old finishes second in 100m freestyle final as city stops to cheer on new swimming hero

‘I was trying to have fun, have a good time and swim my best time, and getting the silver was like, “Oh! Yay!”’ says Haughey

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Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey with her silver medal after the final of the women’s 100m freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:41pm, 30 Jul 2021Updated: 7:39am, 31 Jul 2021

Double Olympic silver medal-winner Siobhan Haughey wrote another chapter into the Hong Kong history books on Friday, and she did it all with a big smile and the weight of expectation lifted from her shoulders.

That her Tokyo Games ended with an injured back following an appearance in heat 11 of the 50m freestyle event just hours after her latest success, did little to dampen the joy that had gone before.

Across the city, thousands of Hongkongers hit the pause button, crowding into shopping centres, living rooms, and around televisions in offices to watch Haughey in the 100m freestyle.

It took less than a minute, 52.27 seconds to be exact, for their faith to be repaid, and they cheered to the rafters in their hundreds in malls in Kwun Tong, West Kowloon and Causeway Bay.

“I’m very excited right now,” Ying Lok, an 18-year-old student, said. “That’s another medal for Hong Kong! Siobhan has done so well. I can’t wait to watch her performance in the future.”

Siobhan Haughey reacts after winning silver. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor praised Haughey’s “outstanding result”.