Haughey Snares 1:06.77 Breaststroke Split At Hong Kong Championships

2023 HONG KONG OPEN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, August 18th – Sunday, August 20th
• Victoria Park Swimming Pool
• LCM (50m)
• Results

The 2023 Hong Kong Open Swimming Championships wrapped up at Victoria Park Swimming Pool today.

We already reported how two-time Olympic silver medalist Siobhan Haughey raced her way to a new national record in the women’s 50m free. The 25-year-old clocked a time of 24.44 to produce the fastest time of her career en route to overwriting her own previous NR of 24.56 from earlier this year.

• Siobhan Haughey Fires Off Pre-Asian Games 24.44 50 Free National Record

Although Haughey opted out of the 100m, 200m and 400m free events in which she has competed in the past, the former University of Michigan Wolverine did take part in the breaststroke leg of her South China Athletic Associaton’s women’s 4x100m medley relay.

Haughey produced a split of 1:06.77 on that breaststroke leg. Although she had the benefit of a rolling start, the time easily destroys her own previous flat-start personal best of 1:09.22 in the individual event. That slower outing was performed nearly 6 years ago.

The postponed 2022 Asian Games are set to begin next month and Haughey’s breaststroke time gives hope to the nation of Hong Kong in terms of potential medal placement in Hangzhou, China.

At the last edition of the Games in 2018, Hong Kong snagged the women’s 4x100m medley relay silver medal behind winners Japan.

Hong Kong’s lineup of Stephanie Au (1:00.38), Jamie Yeung (1:08.16), Chan Kin Lok (59.76) and Camille Cheng (54.85) collectively stopped the clock in a time of 4:03.15. That fell well behind winners Japan who notched a gold medal-worthy result of 3:54.73.

Of note, China was disqualified in the event at the 2018 Asian Games, so they are still very much a weapon with which Hong Kong (and others) will need to contend.

More recently, at this year’s World Championships, Hong Kong placed 16th out of the heats of the women’s medley relay, with the following splits:

Stephanie Au – 1:00.75
Siobhan Haughey – 1:07.49
Tam Hoi Lam – 1:00.96
Camille Cheng – 55.69
4:04.89

Haughey’s breaststroke time drop heading into Hangzhou can only help Hong Kong’s potential medal relay chances when this event comes to pass at the Asian Games.