Siobhan Haughey adds second silver to Mare Nostrum medal haul, faces fight to retain title
Hong Kong Olympian second in 200m freestyle final at series stop in Barcelona
Siobhan Haughey has won her second silver medal in as many days at the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour in Barcelona, coming second in the women’s 200 metres freestyle final on Thursday.
The Hongkonger’s time of one minute, 57.38 seconds was almost 1.5 seconds slower than her training partner Barbora Seemanova, who took gold in 1:55.85. Rounding off the podium was Portugal’s Francisca Martins in 1:59.54.
Haughey’s time was her slowest in the 200m freestyle, an event for which she is the world champion, in almost three years.
The 27-year-old also took part in the 50m freestyle, finishing fourth in 25.19, in a race won by Milou van Mijk in 24.56. The Dutch swimmer also bested Haughey in the 100m final on Wednesday, meaning the quadruple Olympic medallist has it all to do if she is to retain her Mare Nostrum crown.
Swimmers at the three-leg series accumulate points based on the events they swim and their final position. For the past two years, Haughey has swept the 100m and 200m freestyle events at all three legs, en route to winning the overall title and the €7,000 (HK$62,000) prize.
This year’s Mare Nostrum is Haughey’s first international meet since the World Aquatics Swimming Championships last December. It is also the first time she has raced in two finals in one day since November.