HONG KONG (SE): Siobhán Bernadette Haughey, who snagged two silver medals at Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, said perseverance and faith helped her achieve her goals. She won silver in the women’s 200 metre and 100 metre freestyle events while representing Hong Kong.
Haughey is the first Hong Kong swimmer to win an Olympic medal and the first to win two Olympic medals in any asport.
Speaking at on August 21 at St. Margaret’s Church, Happy Valley, where she grew up, Haughey said she had happy memories of Sunday School at the parish. She also thanked St. Paul’s Convent School for instilling a hard-working and persevering mentality in her during her primary and secondary school days, which served her well when she encountered difficulties in training or academic studies.
The silver medallist said she learned how to swim when she was a child and became a member of a swimming team with her elder sister. She recalled that she wasn’t really interested in the sport at first, but was happy to make friends during training. She also won some prizes.
Haughey said she became deeply interested in competitive swimming when she joined the team at the University of Michigan in the United States, as there was a strong team spirit motivating her to do better.
During the preparations for different competitions, she said she had to rely on God many times, especially during frustrations or injuries. “I would pray to God for help during such trials,” she said.
‘Do not look at the trial before you with fear. Set up small goals to overcome the trial step by step. The most important thing is perseverance. I once thought of giving up swimming, but then I remember my goals’
She recalled that in 2018, she needed to withdraw from the Asian Games due to a leg injury and her doctor told her to stop her training for nine weeks. It was a really depressing experience, “It was not easy for me to rest while watching others joining the games. During that time, I prayed more often to God for faster recovery, more help to face the injury and not to give up,” she recounted.
She later added that she had consulted 15 doctors in Hong Kong and the United States concerning the injury. “Now, I cannot kick for more than 1,000 metres while training. We need to learn to accept these trials and think of ways to face them. At that time, I needed to talk to my coach about making changes to the method of training. The most important thing is to persevere.”
Above left Handing out souvenirs to participants at St. Margaret’s on August 21. Photo: Screenshot/Facebook page of St. Margaret’s church. Above right: During high school days. Photo via Instagram
She spoke about overcoming trials, saying, “Do not look at the trial before you with fear. Set up small goals to overcome the trial step by step. The most important thing is perseverance. I once thought of giving up swimming, but then I remember my goals.” She added: “Do not compare yourself with others. We all have our own talents. So think of ways to use them and develop them.”
‘My experiences told me that I could think of nothing and do nothing when I was nervous. In times of difficulties, we do not need to face them alone. See if there is anyone next to you who can help, such as family or friends. And you can pray. If none of these ways can give you solutions, it can at least make you feel better’
Haughey also explained the tattoo of the five interlocking rings of the Olympic symbol on the back of her shoulder. It was done in 2016, after she joined the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She observed that it was not on the most eye-catching part of the body and she cannot always see it.
“Although I can look back to see the Olympic symbol and remember the fruits of my efforts, I look ahead most of the time to prepare for more breakthroughs,” she said.
The session began with a welcoming message from parish priest, Father John Baptist Kwan Kit-tong, and a child reading the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), encouraging those present to make good use of their gifts from God.
Haughey later invited participants to share about their talents. Children raised their hands, talked about their hobbies in sports and musical instruments and were given souvenirs by the Olympic medallist.
In an interview with the Kung Kao Po, Haughey, now a full-time athlete, said she wants to be a child psychologist in the future. While majoring in psychology at the University of Michigan, she was especially interested in child psychology and carried out related research.
After graduation, she once worked at a nursery and kindergarten looking after children from six-months-old to five-years-old.
“Through the work and what I learned in classroom, I realised that childhood experiences have a lot to do with the growth and development of children. So I hope that I can be a child psychologist to help them so that they can lead a happy life and have good development as they grow up,” she said.
She said it is important to calm down before trials. “My experiences told me that I could think of nothing and do nothing when I was nervous. In times of difficulties, we do not need to face them alone. See if there is anyone next to you who can help, such as family or friends. And you can pray. If none of these ways can give you solutions, it can at least make you feel better,” she said.
She encouraged young people in Hong Kong not to give up easily in the face of trials. “You may not achieve your goal at the end, but the most important thing is that you have tried your best. And there is no regret,” she said.
