5 things to know about Siobhán Haughey

Siobhán Bernadette Haughey is Hong Kong’s most decorated athlete with two silver medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and now one of Hong Kong’s two torch bearers at the Paris Olympics. Olivia Bullock delves into the record-breaking swimmer’s life, revealing her initial dislike for the sport, her love of Japanese food and how she nearly quit swimming after the Tokyo Olympics

She is Hong Kong’s most decorated athlete

Haughey is no stranger to breaking records. The impressive athlete now holds a plethora of titles, records, and awards. Her most significant feat to date currently stands as winning two silver olympic medals in Tokyo 2020. She placed second in both the women’s 100m and 200m freestyle races. Not only is she the first Hong Kong athlete to win a medal in swimming at the olympics, but she is the first Hong Kong athlete to win two olympic medals in any sport.

Haughey also landed Hong Kong its first gold medal for swimming at the World Aquatics Championships this year. It was Haughey’s first long-course gold medal in the 200m freestyle. She even won a bronze in the 100m breaststroke, an event which she does not specialise in.  

As for the records she has set, Haughey is the first woman in Hong Kong to achieve a sub 1:55 in the 200m freestyle. As if all of the above wasn’t enough, she also broke the Asian record for the 100m freestyle, in addition to 7 Hong Kong records, including all three of the relay events she participated in at the 2022 Asian Games. 

All those records require a lot of recovery so the athlete says she loves ice baths and cryotherapy alongside a weekly massage. 

Swimming runs in the family

Haughey has an older sister who has also swam competitively, representing Hong Kong in amateur swimming competitions. The pair attended swim lessons together as children. 

She has also divulged that she and her sister share a love for food. Haughey has expressed that her favourite food is Japanese food, specifically ramen, okonomiyaki and unagi. She also said that when she is homesick she tries to find bubble tea, dim sum or egg tarts to give her a taste of home. 

Despite her current success, the swimmer already has a career in mind once her swimming days are over. She plans to hit the books again and to become a clinical child psychologist.

She disliked swimming as a child

The “little mermaid” initially really disliked swimming as a child. She recalls thinking the training was too hard and intense. It wasn’t until she began to see results in the pool that she began to love the sport at the age of 18.  

The athlete must have had a bright future from the very beginning as her previous coaches urged her parents to keep her in the sport. The star also confessed that she considered quitting swimming after the Tokyo Olympics as she feared she had peaked in the sport. She advises others to “just believe in the training that you’re doing and believe in the process. And know that if you put in the hard work, by the time you get to the end of the season, the results will come.”

She has turned to down requests to represent Ireland multiple times

On multiple occasions, the half-Irish athlete has been asked to represent Ireland. However, remaining loyal to #HomeKong, the athlete has rejected such proposals and said she is proud to represent the place in which she was born and raised. 

Although the athlete turned down the chance to represent Ireland, she jumped at the opportunity to become a Cathay Pacific Ambassador. The athlete recalls fond memories as a child on Cathay flights receiving stuffed toys to play. She has highlighted it is exciting to work with a brand that provides such nostalgia for her.

She is an accomplished piano player

Haughey’s parents initially enrolled her into swimming lessons as an addition to her piano lessons. However, as her coaches discovered her potential, a future in swimming appeared to become her focus. Despite this, she still achieved grade 8 on the piano. Those you of piano #legends will know this is the highest level you can attain. 

Her extra curricula is not limited to the piano keys… she loves to bake, go to the gym, and take part in spin and pilates classes. This all amounts to over 25 hours or working out a week! The swimmer is clearly a hard worker as she recalls waking up at 3 AM during exam season at secondary school in order to balance her swim training with her academics. She truly is an all-round #legend!

Also see: 5 things to know about Charles Leclerc