Siobhan Haughey (HKG) followed up two silver medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (JPN) with two world championship titles on the short course last year. Now the 24-year-old from Hong Kong is also reaching for the stars at the World Cup. At the FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin, Haughey celebrated her second victory on Saturday, clocking 1:51.36 in the 200m freestyle. In this form, winning the overall meet seems possible, and even more so in the coming weeks. “I’m just trying to have fun and gain race experience. It’s the first time I’m competing in the whole World Cup series, so I think it will be a great experience. I haven’t had that many races so far this year, so hopefully I can improve each time and just see what happens.”
She would also have been buoyed in Berlin by listening to the new album released Friday by her favorite artist, Taylor Swift. “I’m a big Taylor Swift fan. This morning I picked a few of my favorite songs from her new album. It’s nice to have your favorite artist release an album while you’re at the competition,” Haughey shared.
In addition, one secret of her successful journey is that she has been coached for a long time by German coach Michael Fasching: “He’s been in Hong Kong for a very long time, and he’s the head coach of my club Harry Wright, so he’s practically a local now. He definitely played a big role when I was a junior. He did all the foundational work that helped me get to where I am today.” She didn’t learn German in the process, however. “All I can say is thank you, and that’s about it.”
Beata Nelson leads the meet standings ahead of Sunday’s conclusion (7:00 p.m.) after the U.S. native succeeded in the 100m backstroke in 56.03 seconds. Behind her is compatriot Hali Flickinger, who was the best in the 400m medley in 4:30.36 on Saturday. Beryl Gastadello (FRA) celebrated her second victory in Berlin in the 50m butterfly (25.16) and is also still in the race. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) also delivered a top performance in the 100m breaststroke (1:03.07).
