Hong Kong eager for more sporting success

Uhi is about 1.70 meters tall, which gives her a physical advantage in swimming, while Haughey, 23, is also tall and has been dubbed the "mixed-race mermaid".

When Uhi set out to follow Haughey in representing Hong Kong, she knew she faced a number of challenges.

For example, when the pandemic struck early last year, the Hong Kong Open Swimming Championships, which offer the chance of representing the city at the sport－had to be called off.

Those with ambitions of making it on to the team usually have to rank in the top three at these championships, which are held two to three times a year, but which only resumed in August, according to Uhi's swimming coach, Wu Kim-ho.

Immediately before the onset of the pandemic, Uhi performed a personal best, finishing second in a total field of about 50 swimmers in another local 100 meters freestyle event in January last year, recording a time of 1 min 01:93 sec.

Still, she has a long way to go if she wants to surpass Haughey, who set an Asian record for this event by finishing in 52.27 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this summer.

But Uhi's coach and her swimming club－the Hoi Tin Athletic Association－believe her competition results and performances stand her in good stead, so they applied to the Hong Kong China Swimming Association for her to represent the city.

The association referred the application to the Hong Kong Sports Institute, or HKSI, which examined it. Even though Uhi had not been able to take part in the open championships, she was considered eligible to join the city's swimming team. Since then, she has trained at the institute.