Hong Kong Swimming Championships: Siobhan Haughey in winning return, Hayden Kwan smashes record

Swimming in hometown for 1st time in 15 months, Haughey wins 200 metres freestyle in comeback after injury that caused her to miss World Championships

Kwan, newly qualified for Hong Kong, breaks city’s 100m backstroke record

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Siobhan Haughey wins the 200m freestyle at the Hong Kong Open Swimming Championships. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 10:27pm, 20 Aug 2022Updated: 2:01am, 21 Aug 2022

Siobhan Haughey made a winning return at the Hong Kong Open Swimming Championships on Saturday after an eight-month absence from the pool, while teenager Hayden Kwan showed his Paris potential with a Hong Kong record.

Freshly recovered from a foot injury, Haughey was competing for the first time since the short-course World Championships in Abu Dhabi in December, and the first time in her hometown in 15 months.

And she did not disappoint, finishing first in the 200 metres freestyle in one minute, 56.47 seconds – more than 2.5 seconds slower than her personal best but good enough to qualify for next year’s long-course World Championships in Japan.

The two-time Olympic silver medallist was forced to miss the Mare Nostrum Tour in Europe in May and the long-course World Championships the following month because of an injury sustained to her right ankle in a poolside slip. She said in a commercial press conference last month that she was “anxious” to return to action.

Hayden Kwan celebrates his city record in the 100m backstroke at Victoria Park. Photo: Dickson Lee

Having last competed in Hong Kong in May last year, Haughey – who will race again on Sunday in the 400m freestyle – finished ahead of Ho Nam-wai in 2:02.81, with Katii Tang Tsoi-lam touching third in 2:04.32.