Swimmer Haughey smashes Hong Kong record en route to Asian Games bronze double

Siobhan Haughey got her Asian Games off to a record-setting start on Sunday, claiming bronze in the women’s 50m breaststroke, an event she had previously called “a bit of fun”.

The Hongkonger broke her own city record twice on her way to her first medal of the Games, and still had enough left in the tank to help her teammates finish third in the final of the 4x100m freestyle relay.

On a day when hosts China dominated in the pool, winning every gold on offer, Haughey’s performance, in an individual event that has not traditionally been a strength, bodes well for the rest of the week.

She smashed her previous best time and Hong Kong record of 31.21, which she set in Florida in March, in the heats, finishing as the second-fastest qualifier in 30.46.

The double Olympic silver medallist then lowered that time again in the final, touching the wall in 30.36, but that was still some way behind China’s Tang Qianting, who took gold in 29.96, which wasn’t even her fastest time of the day.

Tang had earlier set a new Asian record and Games record of 29.92 at the aquatics centre in Hangzhou.

“It’s slightly disappointing because I was hoping to improve on my time in the heats,” Tang said. “But it’s OK, I’ll go back and continue to work hard. I still have a lot that I must work on.”

Japan’s Satomi Suzuki took silver in the 50m race in 30.14, breaking the hegemony China’s swimmers had enjoyed up to that point, with gold and silver and gold going to the hosts in the first four races of the evening.

Having grabbed a bronze medal, Haughey returned to bag a second, swimming the second leg of the relay in a time of 51.92. Camille Cheng Lily-mei led the quartet off in 56.11 and after Haughey’s burst, Tam Hoi-lam (55.66) and Stephanie Au Hoi-shun (55.41) brought their side home behind China and Japan.

Records were the order of the day for the Chinese swimmers, with star Zhang Yufei setting the tone in the women’s 200m butterfly, winning in a Games record 2:05.57, ahead of teammate Yu Liyan (2:08.31) and Japan’s Hiroko Makino (2:09.22).

Wang Shun then made it two from two in the men’s 200m individual medley, winning in an Asian record 1:54.62, with compatriot Qin Haiyang in second in 1:57.41.

“I feel really good,” Zhang said. “My first mission was to take the gold for China. Next was to beat Jiao Liuyang’s Games record, and I also did that.

“I actually felt the pool was a little slow for me, and I told my coach that I wasn’t feeling in good form. I felt I could have gone even faster.”