PARIS OLYMPICS: COACH REVEALS HONG KONG STAR SIOBHAN HAUGHEY’S BLUEPRINT FOR GAMES SUCCESS

• Tom Rushton says Haughey, 'one of the best people I've met', is ready to confront 'conflict in the pool'

The coach inspiring Siobhan Haughey's Olympic medal quest has outlined the Hong Kong swimmer's fast-starting blueprint for Paris success this month.

Tom Rushton also said Haughey was embracing the "intense rivalry and competitiveness" from podium favourites Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O'Callaghan, who swam inside the previous 200 metres freestyle world record at last month's Australian Olympic trials.

Rushton said Haughey was not adopting a "gold medal or bust" outlook after her two silvers at the Tokyo Games in 2021, but was ready to confront "the idea of that conflict in the pool".

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"It's not a bad thing to be aware that to win medals, Siobhan's going to have to beat some of those superstar athletes," Rushton said.

Titmus and O'Callaghan train together in Brisbane.

"Siobhan doesn't have a woman in her group who pushes her like that," said Rushton, who called Haughey "one of the best people I have ever met".

Instead, training partners including 200m butterfly ace Kregor Zirk "do the job of pretending to be that bada** Australian girl".

"We have to be ready for those challenges," Rushton said. "Each of those [rivals] swims a race differently, so Siobhan knows how they're going to pace.

"We talk about how to maximise areas where Siobhan's stronger, and have spent a lot of time in the past couple of years working on what she needs to improve."

Rushton, who became Haughey's full-time coach soon after her Tokyo exploits, said the 26-year-old "always felt like her dive wasn't very fast".

"When she races the 100m freestyle, she's against people who swim the 50m, and looked slow at the start," Rushton said. "She's worked hard on it.

"She's not going to be as fast as the best starters in the world, but she's as fast as the best swimmers in the world, so that's been a big improvement."

One area Haughey has transformed is her kicking underwater.

"In Tokyo, she did two or three underwater kicks, which would get her to about six metres," Rushton said. "Now she's doing seven kicks.

"We're [also] working on trying to be faster off the turn. A lot of the [training] repeats ... instead of just starting, first we're going into the wall and doing a turn."

Rushton identified Haughey's 100m freestyle gold at last year's Asian Games as "one of my favourites, because she swam her best time".

Haughey subsequently lowered that personal best, but her leading 200m time remains the one she delivered for Olympic silver three years ago. For that reason, according to Rushton, Haughey "wasn't happy" after winning 200m world championship gold this year.

"She's probably the most consistent swimmer, but we would like it to be a tiny bit faster," Rushton said. "The reality, especially in the 200m freestyle, is she could beat her best time by a second and get [Olympic] bronze.

"That would be a good swim, and we would be happy with it.

"She's always going to be a two-times Olympic medallist. That's done, and the book is closed. Tokyo wasn't a stepping stone for Paris, it was part of her experience. It's not going to be a 'gold medal or bust' scenario."

Rushton said Haughey was "wonderful to work with", although "she's majored in psychology, so trying to convince her to do something, without her knowing I'm trying to convince her, becomes even more convoluted than with most people".

"It's quite amusing sometimes," he said. "Siobhan is one of the best people I have ever met.

"She is very genuine and very humble. She is a big celebrity in Hong Kong, but I think she likes being away, because she can hide and read her book, and nobody will bother her.

"Equally, she will sign every autograph, and we have to drag her away because the bus is leaving. She's warm and kind to all her friends and teammates.

"I'm excited about what she can do in Paris, but also for her life going forwards. She has lots of potential, and will be great at whatever she decides to do."

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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2024-07-01T04:17:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd