Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong holds up her silver medal from the women's 200-meter freestyle final at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 28, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (MATTHIAS SCHARADER / AP)

Cheerful vibes spread across Hong Kong as swimming star Siobhan Haughey on Wednesday morning won a silver medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.

This is Hong Kong’s second medal in this year’s Games and its first in Olympic swimming history.

Hong Kong residents watching the race in shopping malls witnessed the historic moment, similar to Monday evening when they gathered to watch fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long claim a gold medal in the men’s individual foil, the first-ever fencing medal for the city.

In the final, Haughey led for most of the race, but was narrowly defeated at the end by Australian Ariarne Titmus, who also won gold in the 400-meter freestyle.

Haughey finished the event in 1:53.92, setting an Asian long-course record.

Siobhan Haughey encouraged young athletes in Hong Kong to write new pages in the city’s sporting future. She later broke another Asian record in the women’s 100-meter freestyle heat with 52.7 seconds.

The 23-year-old swimmer told the media that she had given her best effort, and was happy with the result.

She encouraged young athletes in Hong Kong to write new pages in the city’s sporting future. Haughey later broke another Asian record in the women’s 100-meter freestyle heat with 52.7 seconds. She qualified second-fastest for the semifinal, which is scheduled for today, and will compete in the 50-meter freestyle heat on Friday.

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Affectionately called “Hong Kong’s Little Flying Fish”, Haughey learned to swim as a 4-year-old and began professional training at the age of 6, according to local media.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and other officials of the special administrative region government were among the first to laud Haughey’s prowess in the pool.

Lam in a statement said that Haughey had demonstrated great skill and perseverance to stay ahead of competitors, achieving an excellent result, adding that “she has brought glory to the city and has made me and Hong Kong people proud”.

Sherry Tsai Hiu-wai, a Hong Kong swimmer who competed at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics before retiring, told local media that she screamed support for Haughey while watching the fi nal.

Tsai said the excellent performances of Cheung and Haughey and their Olympic spirit could uplift younger generations.

The Legislative Council and non-official members of the Executive Council also extended their congratulations to Haughey.

Noting that Haughey has prepared meticulously for the Olympics, LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said, “Her spirit of striving for continued improvement is admirable and worthy of emulation.”

READ MORE: Cheung wins first Olympic fencing gold for Hong Kong

Restaurants and eateries joined in the celebration by launching various promotions offering discounts to anyone whose name has at least one of the same characters as the names of Cheung and Haughey.

Chloe Xu contributed to this story.