Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong celebrates winning the gold medal in the Women's 200m Freestyle final at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2022 in Melbourne on Dec 18, 2022. (WILLIAM WEST / AFP)
MELBOURNE / HONG KONG – Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, China on Sunday defended her women's 200m freestyle title, as the United States topped the medal table at the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m).
The United States won 36 medals, including 17 golds, at the six-day short-course event held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Center. Hosts Australia finished second with 26 medals.
On the final day of the event, Haughey, the women's 200m freestyle world record holder, had a comfortable victory in her pet event after touching the wall in 1:51.65
On the final day of the event, Haughey, the women's 200m freestyle world record holder, had a comfortable victory in her pet event after touching the wall in 1:51.65.
She led throughout and finished well ahead of Canada's Rebecca Smith and Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands.
ALSO READ: Haughey wins silver at FINA short-course championships
"It's so nice to defend your title and this is my first time that I managed to do this," Haughey told Xinhua. "It means a lot to me. I wish the time was a little bit faster but overall I'm so happy with it."
The 25-year-old had earlier claimed silver in the 100m freestyle.
"I'm pretty happy with my results. But I know I still have a lot of things to work on and next year we have so many competitions," Haughey said.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung extended his congratulations to Haughey for successfully defending her title.
"Siobhan Bernadette Haughey won two medals in a row at the same tournament, setting a brilliant record. I am so proud of her outstanding performance," Yeung said in a statement.
READ MORE: Haughey shatters world record at FINA short-course Worlds
American Nic Fink set a championship record time of 25.38 seconds in a thrilling men's 50m breaststroke race. He edged out Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi by 0.04 seconds to take gold.
Simone Cerasuolo of Italy claimed bronze, while China's Qin Haiyang missed a podium finish by 0.14 seconds. Yan Zibei from China finished seventh.
"I had a more relaxed state of mind, which is the main gain for me from participating in the Melbourne championships," said Qin.