Tokyo 2020: Siobhan Haughey’s historic silver medal celebrated by past Hong Kong Olympic swimmers
- Ronnie Wong, Karen Robertson and Robyn Lamsam raised the bar and paved the way for Haughey’s breakthrough
- Lamsam, Hong Kong’s first individual swimming medallist, says Haughey can add to her collection
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Past Olympic swimmers paid tribute to Siobhan Haughey on Wednesday after she became the first Hong Kong athlete to win a medal in the pool since their debut at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
Ronnie Wong Man-chiu (1968 and 1972), Karen Robertson (1976) and Robyn Lamsam (1992) were among the pioneers of their era as the standard of swimming in Hong Kong improved slowly but steadily over the decades.
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Hong Kong’s most successful Olympics ever as swimmer Siobhan Haughey wins silver at Tokyo 2020
“Of course we are very happy and excited for the first ever Olympic medal for Hong Kong in swimming,” said Hong Kong Olympic Committee official Wong, 69, who competed in six events at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and three in Munich 1972. “Our respect and support for our athletes has paid off and we are looking for more good results.”
Karen Robertson, a partner in FloatPlus which conducts swimming lessons at clubs and residential completes in Hong Kong, took part in the 100m and 200m women’s freestyle races at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
“What a wonderful way to engender appreciation for sport and an enthusiasm for sport, in general, because you know how sedentary children can be in Hong Kong,” said Robertson, twice a winner of the Hong Kong cross-harbour race in the 1970s.
“I hope it encourages kids and also adults. Not that we’re expecting them to go that fast but it gives them something to look for, and a lot of my adult students are inspired by this. I’d love to see more people coming into swimming and if this Olympic success can inspire all ages, that's what we are looking for.”
Robyn Lamsam was a stand-out swimmer for Hong Kong in the 1990s. As a 14-year-old, she was the only female swimmer in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, taking part in the women’s 100m freestyle and finishing 37th out of 48. Two years later she won an Asian Games bronze – a rare individual honour for a Hong Kong swimmer.
As Hong Kong’s original queen of the pool, Lamsam, 43, said she was delighted to see Haughey win silver and was confident she could add to her collection.
“Given her incredible form over the past year, I was very confident Siobhan would be getting a medal,” said Lamsam. “The question was only which colour. It was an incredible swim – she went out hard and really gave herself the best possible chance at winning gold.
“The last time we won an individual swimming medal before Siobhan came along was my bronze in 1994. It is absolutely fantastic how far Hong Kong has come along in the past 27 years. This has truly cemented Hong Kong’s standing on the global swimming stage. And Siobhan will only get better.”