“Flying Fish” is heroine in Hong Kong and Ireland

Mark O'Neill August 04, 2024 22:17

Siobhán Haughey, the swimmer who has won four Olympic medals, a record for Hong Kong, is a heroine in both her native city and Ireland, the country of her father.

On Wednesday night in Paris, she won her second bronze medal in the women’s 100-metre freestyle. She was neck and neck with Sarah Sjöström of Sweden and US athlete Torri Huske as they raced to the finish line. Haughey finished in 52.33 seconds, less than a second after champion Sjöström in 52.16 seconds, and silver medallist Huske in 52.29 seconds.

On Monday, Haughey won bronze in the 200-metre freestyle final. In the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she won two silver medals in the same events. The Chinese press calls her “lady flying fish” (女飛魚).
Her win was celebrated in Hong Kong and Ireland. She is the daughter of Darrach Haughey, an Irish accountant, and his Chinese wife Canjo. Hers is a household name in Ireland. Her paternal granduncle was Charles Haughey, who led four Irish governments as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) for a total of seven years between 1979 and 1992.

On Tuesday, Micheál Martin, leader of the Fianna Fáil party and deputy Irish Prime Minister, congratulated Haughey on her medal. In a post on X, he said it was “a proud day” for the Haughey family in Ireland. The first cousin of her father and Fianna Fáil Member of Parliament, Seán Haughey, also congratulated her. He travelled to the Paris Games to watch her compete.

Outside the venue, Sean Haughey said that a huge crowd had travelled over from Dublin to support her. The family were absolutely ecstatic after her fourth Olympic medal win. “Siobhán Haughey is very proud of both her Irish and Hong Kong heritage,” he said.

Her aunt Mary Haughey described her niece as "the most amazing athlete since she was a child" and praised her dedication. Her cousin Joseph Haughey said that the family were "so happy to see her hard work pay off".

Siobhán received blanket coverage in the Hong Kong media, with full colour photographs on the front page of newspapers. She will receive HK$3 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which is giving prizes to Olympic medal winners. A bronze medal earns HK$1.5 million.

Haughey was born in Hong Kong on October 31 1997 and attended St Paul’s Primary Catholic School and St Paul’s Secondary School.

She took her first swimming classes at the South China Athletic Association at the age of four, and cried every time she went to practice. But she is blessed with a “tiger mother” who insisted that she continue. Over time, she made friends with the other swimmers and fell in love with the sport.

At secondary school, she had a gruelling schedule to combine swimming with studies. She woke up at 0445, trained at the pool until 0700, rushed home, shower, ate breakfast and went to school from 0800 to 1600. After school, she ate and trained again from 1800 to 2000, then went home to do homework. Sometimes, she had not completed it, so she rose at 0300 the next morning to finish it.

“It was definitely hard and tiring, but that’s why it’s good to have good time management skills,” she said. In her DSE exams, she achieved the maximum fives in liberal studies, English, accounting and mathematics and fours in Chinese, chemistry and English literature. She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

For her university studies, she followed the advice of a fellow Hong Kong swimmer and went to the University of Michigan, which had a strong swimming programme. She graduated in 2019, with a degree in psychology, while continuing her intense training routine.

Eligible to compete internationally for Ireland and Hong Kong, she chose Hong Kong as the place she was born and grew up and where most of her friends are.

After graduation, she became a professional swimmer and accepted commercial endorsements. In April this year, Cathay Pacific announced that she would be the carrier’s brand ambassador. She features in a series of advertisements, with the slogan “Every Move Counts”. They focus on her daily training routine, including kicks, breath control, turns, and weight training exercises.

Her next big decision is whether to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when she will be 30, old for a professional swimmer. Asked about this, Haughey said that she would decide after the end of the Paris games. Sjostrom, the gold medal winner in her event, is 30 and is competing in her fifth Olympics.

Haughey said that her training for Paris was more intense than for the Tokyo games in 2021. “Your body recovery gets worse, especially as you get older.”

For the moment, though, she is savouring the praise from Hong Kong and Ireland she has received for her years of dedication and intense training.

Mark O'Neill

A Hong Kong-based writer, teacher and speaker.