National Games: Siobhan Haughey seeks ‘progress’ in 200 metres freestyle final
She qualifies second fastest on Wednesday, while fellow Hongkonger Adam Mak squeezes into 50m breaststroke final
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey said she had room for improvement after reaching the 200 metres freestyle final at the National Games with the second fastest time overall in the semis on Wednesday.
Making her debut at the multi-sport extravaganza, four-time Olympic medallist Haughey progressed safely through her heat in the morning in Shenzhen. She then sliced more than two seconds off her heat time in the evening, clocking one minute and 56.73 seconds to finish second in the second semi-final.
Guangdong’s Li Jiaping won the race in 1:55.81 and posted the fastest time overall, with Li Bingjie having won the first semi-final for Hubei in a slower 1:57.73.
Haughey hinted there was more to come from her in Thursday’s final, saying she was still getting into “competition mode”. But she indicated she felt more confident after the morning’s first race, and was focused on what she had to do.
“I will treat it as usual, don’t think too much, and pay attention to my strategy,” said Haughey, who turned 28 a fortnight ago. “I will also review with my coaches to see if there is anything I can improve. I hope I can make some progress.”
Haughey, who will swim in the final at 7.13pm on Thursday, has also entered three other events, most notably the 100m freestyle but also the 50m sprint races in freestyle and breaststroke.