Siobhan Haughey makes swimming history for Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi

Two-time Olympic silver medallist Siobhan Haughey has made swimming history for Hong Kong - twice.

The 24-year-old broke Sarah Sjostrom's world record in the 200m freestyle final on Thursday (16 December) to win gold at the 2021 FINA Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Haughey clocked 1:50.31, 0.12 seconds faster than Sjostrom's previous mark from 2017: That's the first-ever swimming world record set by an athlete from Hong Kong. She is also the first swimmer from her nation to win a world title or any medal at the championships.

Canada's Rebecca Smith - who was co-top seed with Haughey - clinched silver in 1:52.24, with USA's Paige Madden in third, almost three seconds off of the winner's time.

"This is a huge moment for me and my country," Haughey told FINA after the race. "I hope this is just the start for me and other swimmers in my country."

Her time also represents an Asian and a new championship record.

Busy Day 1 of short course worlds

Haughey came close to breaking the 200m freestyle short-course record twice last month, and she's finishing this 2021 on a strong note.

At Tokyo 2020, the Hong Kong swimming hero claimed Olympic silver in both 100m and 200m freestyle, behind, respectively, Emma McKeon and Ariarne Titmus of Australia.

In the other finals taking place on the first day of the short course world champs, Austria's Felix Auboeck won gold in the men's 400m freestyle, while Alberto Razzetti set an Italian world record to claim the men's 200m butterfly crown.

Tess Cieplucha of Canada took home her first world title in the women's 400m IM, with Japan's Daiya Seto beating USA's Carson Foster in the men's 200m IM.

In a thrilling women's 4x100 freestyle relay final, the United States and Canada tied for the gold, while Andrei Minakov led the Russian Federation to gold in the men's 4x100 free relay.