Paris Olympics: Haughey signs off with 200m free win in Rome as Games draw near
- Hong Kong swim star says Sette Colli Trophy will be last competition before she chases glory in the French capital
Siobhan Haughey eased to victory in another 200m freestyle event on Friday, then revealed she was competing for the last time until the Paris Olympics next month.
The Hong Kong star cruised home in a time of one minute, 55.35 seconds at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, almost 1½ seconds slower than her personal best of 1:53.92, which she set on her way to winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Mary-Sophie Harvey of Canada finished second in 1:56.38, with Britain’s Freya Colbert, the reigning 400 IM world champion, third in 1:56.58.
Haughey, who qualified for the final in third overall with a 1:58.25 earlier in the day, was second after the first turn, but was ahead by the next and eased to a commanding victory.
“This is my last event before the Olympics, the training now is very hard, but I hope I will do a bit less now,” the 26-year-old said. “Rome is amazing, this is a fast pool, so it’s always fun to race here.”
Haughey ranks fourth in the world this season in the 200m free, courtesy of her 1:54.08 from last October, but will be need to be even faster to challenge for a medal in the French capital.
