Four-time Olympic medalist Siobhan Haughey, from Hong Kong, made her return to racing on Saturday after taking an extended break from swimming.
The 27-year-old posted a time of 1:08.49 in the 100 breaststroke at a local time trial in Hong Kong.
Although Haughey mentioned feeling “mentally refreshed,” she acknowledged that her performance had slightly declined following her three-month break from the sport that has made her Hong Kong’s most accomplished athlete.
“It was tough, but it’s good to be back,” Haughey told the South China Morning Post. “The first few days of training felt great, but then suddenly, it just hit me—I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I am so tired.’”
Haughey treats breaststroke as a low-pressure alternative to her main freestyle events. Despite this, she earned a bronze medal in the 100 breast at the 2024 World Championships, setting a national record with a time of 1:05.92. However, she chose not to compete in the event at the Paris Olympics due to a scheduling conflict with the 200 free.
Since her double silver at the Tokyo Olympics—where she finished 2nd to Australian stars Emma McKeon and Ariarne Titmus in the 100 and 200 frees—Haughey has remained a consistent presence on the world stage in those events.
At the Paris Olympics last July, she reached the podium once again with bronze medals in both the 100 (52.33) and 200 free (1:54.55). Both times ranked her 5th in the world for the year. Haughey also closed out the season by securing her third consecutive short course world title in the 200 free.
The South China Morning Post also reports that Haughey’s coach, Tom Rushton, has confirmed she will compete at the World Championships this July, targeting a sixth world title. Haughey has only been training full-time again since April 1st.
However, Haughey is unsure of her path after that, including the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, saying she would “take it one year at a time.”
“There’s a huge discrepancy between how I’m feeling [in the pool] versus how I’m actually doing,” Haughey said. “I feel great a lot of the time, but when I hear my times and they’re so slow, I know it’s gonna be a very long journey.”
Looking ahead, Haughey said her focus is on competing in the 100 and 200 free at next month’s Mare Nostrum Swim Tour, which begins on May 17th, as part of her build-up to the World Championships.
When I hear my times and they’re so slow. Tears.
If I were her, I’d consider training with Pan Zhanle’s team in mainland China just to shake things up a bit. I’m sure they would love to have her there and she would benefit from training with them, even just for a stint …
I hope she continues swimming.
It’s a joy to watch her swim and her bubbly attitude.
She’s gotta make it just so we can see that smile under the LA lights