World Aquatics Swimming Championships: Karen Tam makes fine start with 2 Hong Kong records
The 2-time Olympian beat her personal best in the 50m butterfly to break a 10-year-old record before helping freestyle relay team set new mark
Karen Tam Hoi-lam got her World Aquatics Swimming Championships campaign in Budapest off to a strong start by smashing two Hong Kong records, one of which had stood for 10 years.
Tam, 26, came home in 25.98 seconds in the 50m butterfly before leading three of Hong Kong’s teenage swimmers to set a city record of three minutes and 39.67 seconds in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
The two-time Olympian beat her personal best in the 50m fly by 0.37 seconds and shaved 0.11 seconds off Sze Hang-yu’s 2014 record.
The new Hong Kong record in the 4x100m freestyle relay, which was 0.51 seconds faster than the 3:40.18 set in 2017, was done without four-time Olympic medallist Siobhan Haughey.
“This is my PB and also the Hong Kong [short course] record. I’m excited to swim with the younger swimmers in the relay later. [It’s been] a good start for the team,” Tam said after the 50m butterfly.
Olympian Tam missed out on progressing to the semi-final of the 50m butterfly by 0.26 seconds after Gretchen Walsh knocked down a world record that had stood for 15 years.
