Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins second bronze at Paris Olympics
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong star swimmer Siobhan Haughey has won a second bronze at the Paris Olympic Games, as badminton duo Tse Ying-suet and Jordan Tang bowed out following a defeat in the mixed doubles quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old Hong Kong swimmer came in third in the women’s 100-metre freestyle event on Wednesday night Paris time, bagging a second bronze for herself and the city from the elite multi-sport event held this year in France.
Haughey was neck and neck with Sarah Sjöström of Sweden and US athlete Torri Huske as they swam towards the finish line. The Hongkonger completed the race in 52.33 seconds, finishing less than second after champion Sjöström at 52.16 seconds, and silver medalist Huske, who recorded a time of 52.29 seconds.
In an interview with Hong Kong media after receiving her medal, Haughey said she was satisfied with the result as she knew there was fierce competition for the 100-metre freestyle event.
Asked if she thought she could have won because it was such a close race, Haughey said she did not think about winning because she could not see her competitors while she was swimming. She also did not want the performance of others to affect her tactics, she said.
“The moment I walked into [the arena], I was in the zone, focusing on that I had to do… I only knew how I performed after I touched the scoreboard,” she said in Cantonese.
The swimmer, who clinched a historic two silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, went on to say that she did not think about becoming Hong Kong’s most decorated Olympics athlete. Her goal was to perform her best and inspire other athletes competing in the Olympics and aspiring young athletes training back home.
“[I want] to give them positive energy and let them know that they can do the same,” Haughey said.
In the early hours of Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee congratulated Haughey’s second bronze, saying he, and all Hong Kong people, were proud of the swimmer.
“Siobhan has maintained a high level of performance and remained fearless against the world’s best athletes throughout the competitions. She has now won two medals in a row, setting another brilliant result,” Lee said a statement.
Badminton
Hong Kong’s badminton stars Tse Ying-suet and Jordan Tang ended their second Olympic run on Wednesday night Paris time, after being defeated by South Korea’s Chae Yoo-jong and Seo Seung-jae in the mixed doubles quarter-finals.
Facing last year’s mixed doubles world champions, Tse and Tang, who placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, trailed throughout the match and were eliminated after losing 15-21 and 10-21.
The pair broke into tears in a post-match interview with Hong Kong media. Tse revealed that she had suffered from a serious injury ahead of the Paris Games and she was unable to comb her hair or squeeze the toothpaste. She said cried in an emergency room around three weeks ago and asked her doctor if she could still participate in the Olympics.
“I thought I couldn’t make it to the Olympics this time… I really enjoyed every match this time… This time, I gave my best,” Tse said in Cantonese.
Tse, who used to play in women’s doubles before pairing up with Tang, said she was grateful for her partner’s support. She thanked him for not giving up on her despite her injuries throughout the years.
“Some people commented and said I should retire and let Chun-man find a better partner. I doubted myself, too… but he did not give up on me,” she said.
Tang told the press that they were under a lot of pressure because they did not perform well before the Olympic qualifying season. The pair fought point by point to regain their confidence, he said.
“A month before the Olympics, it was really, really tough. Whether it was physically or mentally, we were going through a lot,” Tang said, as he wiped away his tears.
It was hard for him to watch Tse get injured, Tang said, adding it was not easy for an athlete to recover from their injuries and be able to deliver a high-level performance again.
Another Hong Kong badminton player Lee Cheuk-yiu bowed out of the men’s singles event after losing to Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan, which competes in the Olympics under the name Chinese Taipei, 21-18 and 21-13 in his second group stage match. The defeat left the Hongkonger with one win and one loss in total, dashing his hopes of advancing to the round of 16.
Triathlon
Hong Kong triathlete Jason Ng was forced to quit men’s individual triathlon race on Wednesday after his skin suit was allegedly unzipped by another competitor. Ng wrote on Instagram on Thursday that his suit had been “yanked open” and the back zipper broken, which caused the suit to “inflate like a parachute” during the swimming section of the event.
The 24-year-old completed the swimming leg of the race, when he ranked 53 out of 55 contestants, and decided to stop competing during the cycling section. Ng’s Olympic debut was marked as “did not finish” on the Paris Olympics website.
Ng expressed disappointment over the result on Instagram, saying four years of preparation and two years of intense qualification for a spot in the top sporting event was “all sidelined within two minutes.”
“The biggest race of an athlete’s career. Completely ruined by something seemingly so small and inconsequential,” Ng wrote on a story he shared Instagram.
“I’m not here to play the blame game. It. Just. Hurts,” his story read.
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