Siobhan Haughey Claims 50m Freestyle Silver as Hong Kong Rowers Sweep Four Medals at Nagoya
SingTao · 12 SOURCESabout 14 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong's athletes delivered a stellar day of performances at the Nagoya Asian Games on September 24, with swimmer Siobhan Haughey capping an outstanding individual campaign with a silver medal in the women's 50m freestyle final. The Hong Kong rowing team simultaneously dominated the Sea of Japan Water Sports Venue, capturing four medals in a single day—gold for Chow Hin-zan in the lightweight men's single sculls, silver for Hong Mingzhen in the women's lightweight single sculls, silver for the Zhang Wanshan/Liang Ying-an pairing in the women's lightweight double sculls, and bronze for Lin Xindong/Chen Dilin in the men's lightweight double sculls . Haughey's fourth medal of the Games came in the 50m freestyle final at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, where she finished second behind China's Wu Qingfeng in a time of 24.32 seconds . Hong Kong's medal tally now stands at 4 gold, 8 silver, and 8 bronze after five days of competition .
Key Points
- Siobhan Haughey won silver in the women's 50m freestyle with a time of 24.32 seconds, missing gold by 0.34 seconds to China's Wu Qingfeng who set an Asian Games record of 23.98
- Chow Hin-zan secured his first Asian Games gold in the lightweight men's single sculls, clocking 6:50.32 to beat the Iranian runner-up by 2.27 seconds
- Hong Mingzhen earned her first Asian Games medal in three appearances, finishing second in the women's lightweight single sculls with 7:28.54, behind Iran's Fatemeh Mojallaltopraghghale (7:24.57)
- Zhang Wanshan and Liang Ying-an won silver in the women's lightweight double sculls by a mere 0.03 seconds over Japan, completing the course in 6:59.24
- Lin Xindong and Chen Dilin took bronze in the men's lightweight double sculls with a time of 6:24.84, while Mai Shiting finished fourth in the men's 200m breaststroke, breaking his own Hong Kong record with 2:08.77
Why It Matters
The combined success of Hong Kong's swimmers and rowers signals the emergence of water sports as a consistent medal-winning programme for the city, building on investments in elite training infrastructure and athlete development pathways . Haughey's four-medal haul, achieved despite challenging preparations including injuries, reinforces Hong Kong's standing as a regional powerhouse in freestyle swimming and provides a powerful narrative for youth engagement in competitive sports .
The combined success of Hong Kong's swimmers and rowers signals the emergence of water sports as a consistent medal-winning programme for the city, building on investments in elite training infrastructure and athlete development pathways . Haughey's four-medal haul, achieved despite challenging preparations including injuries, reinforces Hong Kong's standing as a regional powerhouse in freestyle swimming and provides a powerful narrative for youth engagement in competitive sports .