HONG KONG NATIONAL OLYMPIC TIME TRIAL
- Sunday, March 21st
- HKASA Swimming Pool
- LCM (50m)
- Results
At the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) today, the Hong Kong National Olympic Time Trial concluded as the first elite home meet since 2020. Among the exclusive 66 invitations offered only to training grant swimmers, former Michigan Wolverine Siobhan Haughey made a statement with just months to go until the postponed Olympic Games.
As a refresher, both fans and press were shut out of the event, rendering it taking place behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the athletes, the meet followed the International Swimming League (ISL) bubble-type environment with multiple COVID-19 testing protocols in place. You can read our original post on the matter here.
For World Championships finalist Haughey, the 23-year-old produced a head-turning time of 1:55.81 to easily take the gold in the women’s 200m freestyle. Opening in 56.94 and bringing it home on the back half in 58.87, Haughey’s winning effort came within a second of her national record of 1:54.98, a time she produced in Gwangju for 4th place.
Haughey’s 1:55.81 very comfortably dipped under the FINA ‘A’ cut of 1:57.28 needed for the Olympic Games, with the national record holder’s time checking her in as the world’s #3 performer this season.
2020-2021 LCM Women 200 Free
Titmus
1:53.09
| 2 | Siobhan Haughey | HKG | 1:53.92 | 07/28 |
| 3 | Yang Junxuan | CHN | 1:54.37 | 07/29 |
| 4 | Katie Ledecky | USA | 1:54.40 | 04/09 |
| 5 | Penny Oleksiak | CAN | 1:54.70 | 07/28 |
Haughey also did major damage in the 100m free where she registered a gold medal-worthy result of 53.34. With this speedy outing she split 25.68/27.66 to put up a time that ranks among the top 5 in the world this season en route to getting under the 54.38 FINA ‘A’ cut.
The Olympic medal contender owns the national record in 53.30 from the Pro Swim Series in Des Moines last year.
Additional Notes:
- Ming Ho Cheuk clocked a new Hong Kong national record in the men’s 800m free, taking the gold in a time of 8:03.41. He also scored a new national record of 1:48.46 in the men’s 200m free to hit a FINA ‘B’ standard.
During the Festival of Sport in Hong Kong on April 18th, Siobhán Haughey set a national record in the women’s 200 freestyle with a 1:54.89. She was 0.09 faster than her own previous record from the 2019 World Championships.
https://twitter.com/SwimmingStats/status/1383645467024580612/photo/1
Places her 3rd in the world this season and 13th all-time fastest performer.
Yang went a 1.54.70 two weeks ago!
Is that a best time in the 100?
Edit: to answer my own question – her best time is 53.30
The list needs an update. Emma McKeon just did 1:55:56 this weekend
just saying this is not opinion, it is fact previously reported here… https://swimswam.com/mckeon-now-wears-200free-world-rankings-crown-155-56/
the list of top swims is embedded in the article and usually takes a few hours or days to update after a new fast swim, so it’s not an error, just a process that takes longer than you want it to
Are we really at a place where a 1:55-high in a 200 Free time trial is a “statement” swim? Exactly what is the statement?
In season less than 2 sec off the fastest textile ever. I would put any women’s 155 and any men’s 145 as pretty significant in season ‘statement’ swim, as in ‘here I am a few months out and in very good medal threat position’…
Not when done in a low-pressure time trial with very limited competition in a one-off swim (no prelims, travel, etc.) Then it’s just a “look-at-me” practice swim.
For many that’s much more challenging to ‘race’ with no one pushing you. There are literally less then 1/2 doz women going 155s in the world this year, it’s not that ez otherwise we’d compare it to breaking 2min…
You heard about Covid right? Depending on the rules where she is a time trial might be the only option.
Noooo…1:55 high is sooo 2008
Swammer/CHY/Hype Patrol – please stick to one username within any given commenting thread. Thanks.
It means she can swim 1:55:xx anytime and it means she can swim faster if she wanted to.
Not her fault, but sad to see Siobhan going the time trials route in place of a true competitive situation and someone trying to sell it as an “elite” setting.