Swimming

Siobhan Haughey Breaks Hong Kong Record in 100 Breaststroke a Week Out from Worlds

February 4, 2024

2024 Hong Kong Short Course Age Group Swimming Championships

February 2-4, 2024
Hong Kong
Short Course Meters (25 meters)
Meet Results

In case anyone doubted whether Siobhan Haughey is taking the 100 breaststroke seriously, with the World Championships just over a week away, Haughey stopped in to race the 100 breaststroke at the 2024 Hong Kong Short Course Age Group Swimming Championships this weekend and came away with a new National Record in the event.

The meet is an age group championship – but one of those age groups is an 18 & over age group for swimmers like Haughey.

Haughey, an Olympic gold medal contender in the 200 free, revealed her abilities as a breaststroker during the unique format of the International Swimming League, and since then has continued to excel.

On day 2 of the meet on Saturday, she swam 1:04.48 to break the Hong Kong National Record of 1:05.92 that was set by Yvette Kong in 2009 during the supersuit era at a World Cup stop in Singapore.

Haughey now holds 24 different Hong Kong Records, including relays. Among those are also the 50 breaststroke (30.36, twice) and 100 breast (1:06.05 from December) in long course.

For next week’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar, she’s entered as the top seed in the 100 free (52.02), the top seed in the 200 free (1:53.96), and the 5th seed in the 100 breast (1:06.05).

“The main priority (at Worlds) is to get medals and win,” her coach Tom Rushton said. “She only has one (long course) Worlds medal, so we will see how it looks but right now the intent is to do both the 100 breast and 200 free.

“Just for fun,” he added as an emphasis.

Rushton says the event probably isn’t in the cards for the Paris Olympic Games because of conflicts in the Olympic schedule. The finals of the 100 breaststroke comes in the same session as the semi-finals of the 200 free, Haughey’s primary event. She is the 7th-fastest performer in the history of that event.

Haughey earned Olympic silver medals in Tokyo in 2021 in the 100 and 200 meter freestyles and at last summer’s World Championships in Fukuoka she took silver in the 100 free.

Best known as a freestyler, Haughey has steadily peeled back her layers to unveil a wide range of abilities, which includes a 58.12 in the 100 fly in April of last year.

She won a bronze medal in the 50 breaststroke at the 2023 Asian Games.

SwimSwam: Siobhan Haughey Breaks Hong Kong Record in 100 Breaststroke a Week Out from Worlds