Siobhan Haughey back in the pool for Hong Kong Open Championships after eight-month absence
- Star swimmer will race for the first time in 2022, competing in three freestyle events at Victoria Park Pool this weekend
- ‘Our target is allow her to regain her feeling in the water before she gets back to more competitions later this year,’ head coach says
Siobhan Haughey will compete for the first time in eight months at the Hong Kong Open Championships in Victoria Park this weekend.
The 24 year-old will take part in three freestyle events for her first competitive action in the pool in 2022, after she was forced to miss the Mare Nostrum Tour in May and the World Championships in Budapest the following month because of injury.
“This will be her first event and a warm up race at the beginning of the season,” said Chen Jianhong, head swimming coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
“Our target is allow her to regain her feeling in the water before she gets back to more competitions later this year.”
Haughey has not competed since the short course World Championships in Abu Dhabi last December when she won gold in the 100 metres and 200m freestyle, setting a short-course world record in the latter with a time of one minute and 50.31 seconds.
But just before her planned return to long course competition in May at the Mare Nostrum Tour in Monaco, Barcelona and Canet-en-Roussillon, a poolside slip during training in Dubai left her with an injured right ankle, forcing her to miss the events and the World Championships the following month.