Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey grabs gold in France, as teammate Chillingworth targets spot at Paris Olympics
- Haughey makes flying start to Mare Nostrum Swim Tour, winning 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle in France
- Hong Kong has sent a squad of nine swimmers to first leg of Olympic qualifying series, with Adam Chillingworth racing in breaststroke
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey made a flying start to the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour in France on Sunday, winning both the 100-metre breaststroke and the 200m freestyle.
The Mare Nostrum is a three-part annual Mediterranean meet that spans three countries over nine days. Hong Kong has nine swimmers competing at the Olympic qualifying event that started in Canet-en-Roussillon on Saturday.
Haughey’s first race was the 100m breaststroke, an event she won bronze in at the World Aquatics Championships in February.
Despite finishing sixth overall in the heats, Haughey touched the wall in one minute and 7.01 seconds to overcome tough competition from Japan’s Reona Aoki, who was tipped to win the race.
Japanese national record holder Aoki, who was the top seed for the race, was 0.8 seconds behind Haughey.
However, it was in Haughey’s preferred event, the 200m freestyle, where she hit the gas, winning in 1:55.39.
The two-time Olympic silver medallist was more than three seconds faster than her nearest opponent, Lilla-Minna Abraham of Hungary, who came home in 1:58.46. Compatriot Nikolett Padar was third in 1:58.55.
Haughey will compete in the 100m freestyle at 6.45pm local time, which is 12.45am Monday.
Of the nine Hong Kong swimmers in Canet, only Haughey and Ian Ho Yentou have already qualified for Paris.
The Hong Kong swimmer with the best chance of joining them is Adam Chillingworth, who will compete in his favoured event, the 200m breaststroke, at 12.27am on Monday (HKT).
Chillingworth’s personal best in that event is 2:11.16, a Hong Kong record that is 1.5 seconds shy of the Olympic qualifying time.
Sprinter Ho finished third in the 50m freestyle, 0.1 seconds behind second-placed Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago.
France’s Maxime Grousset won that race in 21.92, 0.4 seconds under the Olympic qualifying time.
Li Sum-Yiu set a new Hong Kong record in the 50m women’s freestyle on Saturday afternoon, hitting the wall in 25.29, beating the previous record by 0.9 seconds and winning the B final.
The Mare Nostrum started in Canet on Saturday and athletes will compete again in the town of 12,600 people on Sunday.
On Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 swimmers will be in Barcelona before finishing the event in Monaco on June 1 and 2.
The event is also one of the final opportunities swimmers have to secure their place at the Paris Olympics before the qualification window closes on June 23.
Swimmers competing at the Mare Nostrum earn points based on their performance over the three meets that decide the winner of the women’s and men’s trophies.
As part of the event’s 30th anniversary, an additional €1,050 (HK$8,800) will be awarded to any swimmer that sweeps an event at all three stops this year.
