From established names to ones to watch, these are some of the athletes and sportswomen lighting up the sports scene in Asia right now, from pitch to pool, course to court and rack to ring
February 7 is Girls and Women in Sport Day. It's an opportunity to celebrate female athletes and their achievements and to highlight the power of sport for women and girls in helping to reach their potential.
So, from more established names to ones to watch, these are some of the Asian female athletes, players and sportswomen who are breaking records—and in some cases gender stereotypes, blazing trails—and tracks, and raising the bar—literally as well as figuratively.
Where their sport allows, there are 2024 Olympics or Paralympics hopefuls while others have reached the top—or close to the top—of their game in recent months yet still have more to give. All have accomplishments, both physical and mental, hailing from track and field, to court and course, to pool, piste, rack and mat, which serve to inspire and show how far female athletes in Asia have come. These are the Asian sportswomen to know right now.
1. Siobhan Haughey
Olympic medallist Siobhán Haughey is one of Hong Kong's most decorated athletes. Since her double silver medal achievement at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the swimmer hasn't slowed down, with achievements last year including winning the Hong Kong swim team's first-ever gold at the Asian Games, where she also set an Asian record, and silver at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Counting most of her successes in the freestyle, she recently began competing in the breaststroke, winning bronze at the Asian Games and picking up another bronze medal at the World Championships in Doha this month. The World Championships also saw Haughey realise another first for Hong Kong as she won the SAR's first ever world gold when she swam to victory in the 200-metre freestyle, which also marked the swimmer's first long course world title.
