Siobhan Haughey has early chance to qualify for Paris Olympics at TYR Pro Swim Series in Florida
- Hongkonger chasing ‘A’ qualifying times as Paris 2024 cycle begins, with coach expecting her to manage it at the first attempt
- Haughey is also seeking competitive experience, having not featured in an international long-course meet in 20 months
The 25-year-old will compete in her first long-course competition since the Hong Kong Open Championships last August and hopes to start the season on a high note by meeting the Olympic “A” qualifying standard at Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Centre.
“To be honest, if I can meet the A-cut in this meet, that will be great,” she said of the event during a prize presentation in Hong Kong in January.
“But what draws me there is the high standard, and no more Covid-19 quarantine – it’s a good trial for me to gain more long-course experience.”
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Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey on the Tokyo Olympics, her historic silvers and future plans
There will be a packed schedule for Haughey in Florida for this second leg of the 2023 Pro Series, with the 100m and 400m freestyle on Thursday, 200m free and 50m breaststroke the next day, and 50m free on Saturday.
March 1 marked the start of the Olympic qualifying cycle, which continues until June next year before the Paris Games start a month later.
Haughey is expected to qualify at her first attempt, with the A-cut times required being slower than she is capable of. She will need 53.61 seconds and 1 minute 57.26 seconds respectively for her favoured 100m and 200 free, as well as 24.70 if she is to qualify in the 50m free, and 4:07.90 in the 400m free.
“I hope to set personal best times, and if it’s a world record, that is even better,” said Haughey, who holds five Hong Kong records in the 50m long-course pool: 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m free, and 200m individual medley.
“I know I have a lot of room to improve in the long-course, so it’s fine if it’s not a record.”
Something close to her 100m freestyle best of 52.27 seconds, set at the Tokyo Games, will be the target in her first main event on Thursday. Haughey will face a host of medallists, including Penny Oleksiak of Canada and Simone Manuel of the United States, the joint winners at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
The host country’s multiple Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky and the young Canadian Summer McIntosh, who last year won six Commonwealth Games medals, will also draw attention, although their best times in the event are no match for Haughey’s.
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In the 400m free, Haughey’s best of 4:08.64, set in Hong Kong last August, ranks third on the start list. Ahead of her are the US’ Leah Smith, the long-course world bronze medallist last year, and 17-year-old Katie Grimes, a short-course world silver medallist.
“It is not too difficult for Siobhan to achieve the A-cut of the Olympic qualification time,” Hong Kong head coach Chen Jianhong said. “My expectation for her is that she stays healthy and fit, and achieves what she trained for over the past month.”
Haughey’s last international competition of any kind was December’s short-course World Championships in Melbourne, where she won gold and silver in the 200m and 100m freestyle respectively.
Ian Ho Yentou, who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 50m and 100m freestyle, will compete in the 100m in Florida on Thursday, one of four events for him at the meet.
