HK relay swimmers happy despite dropping out

Team Hong Kong, China's women's swimmers on Saturday finished their 4x100 metres medley relay ranked 13th out of 14 teams, saying they all very much enjoyed their last race at the Paris Olympics. Stephanie Au, Siobhan Haughey, Natalie Kan and Karen Tam clocked a time of four minutes and 3.56 seconds, nearly two seconds short of the Hong Kong record the four hold, and more than a second slower than their Paris entry time. Au, competing in her fifth Olympics, had a strong start, as she helped the team stay in the middle of the pack in the backstroke leg. But when Haughey finished off her breaststroke leg, the SAR squad was among the last. Kan and Tam tried to catch up in butterfly and freestyle, but to no avail. They ended up being seventh in their heat, with Denmark being disqualified. Team Australia won the heat and were the fastest entering the finals, with Team China second in the heat and third overall. Au described their finishing time as less than ideal, but the swimmer said she was thankful for the experience because she had many family and friends in the stands cheering for her. Haughey said she was pleased with her overall performance in Paris, saying she very much enjoyed being with her fellow relay swimmers. "I think when you evaluate a competition, you don't just look at the results because there are a lot of details behind it. You don't just determine [a competition] with the time and rank," she told reporters. Kan, making her Olympic debut, said while their time fell short of expectations, she had no regrets because she knew the whole team already did the best they could. Tam said everyone enjoyed the experience and thanked the Hongkongers in the stands who travelled all the way to Paris to support them.