As Siobhan Haughey soaked in her performance in Tokyo, winning two silver medals to become the most decorated Olympic athlete in Hong Kong history, it isn’t surprising she received more attention and notice from the people of Hong Kong.
But the way people reached out was stunning and continues to stun Haughey, who won the silver medal in the 200 free and 100 free in Tokyo.
Hundreds of people have tagged Haughey in social media posts with pictures of art work that they have drawn or painted of her in the Olympics. The artwork ranges from kids to professional artists. Haughey said she has received more than 300 of these and made some collages to put on her social media platforms.
“People started tagging me on these posts after my silver medal in the 200 free. I wasn’t really on social media during the Olympics so I didn’t really see them until after all of my races,” Siobhan Haughey told Swimming World. “It’s so touching to me seeing all these people put their effort and time into these artworks. It’s their way of showing their support to me and it means a lot. I’ve gotten around 300 artworks now and I’m still getting more every day. I try to repost these artwork so other people can enjoy them too, because these artists are so talented. It’s also my way of showing my appreciation and thanking them for their work.”
Haughey said more than 70 reporters greeted her and the Hong Kong time when they arrived home after swimming was over. After a strong week of swimming that made some history, Haughey will continued to be recognized all over Hong Kong.
“It still hasn’t hit me yet,” she said.
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While Siobhan Haughey previously said she is used to being recognized around Hong Kong, after winning two Olympic medals, that is only going to grow, and if she continues to swim though 2024, she will be Hong Kong’s face of the next Olympics too — a face hundreds of people are taking the time to draw, paint and remember.
Photo Courtesy: Siobhan Haughey
What a wonderful tribute from the people of Hong Kong to an amazing athlete!