Hong Kong swimming star Siobhan Haughey had to settle for second in Saturday's Victoria Harbour Race, losing to Hong Kong team marathon swimmer Nip Tsz-yin in the women's event.

It was her first attempt at the annual race, which drew around 4,000 swimmers this year.

The participants, divided into women's and men's racing and leisure groups, had to complete a one-kilometre course from Wan Chai’s Golden Bauhinia Square to the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Speaking after the race, Haughey – who recently returned from her National Games debut with two gold and two bronze medals – said she had always wanted to take part in the cross-harbour race but was always out of town at this time of the year.

She said it was a different experience swimming in open water.

“When I was on the way to the starting point, we were in the car and we saw the waves, and it looked like it was very wavy and the current was very strong. So I was a bit worried. But once you're actually in it, swimming, I think it felt a little better,” Haughey said.

“But then, honestly, while I was swimming it, I felt like the end point was very far away. And I felt like I was just drifting further and further away from it. But it was a very good experience. It was definitely tiring ... But overall, it's a really good experience.”

Haughey said, unlike in the pool, where everything is under control, there were so many unknown factors out in the sea that would affect her performance.

“In open water, I can’t see anything – unlike in the pool, I can see the bottom. Also, here I had no idea which direction to go. People say to look at the skyscrapers and follow them as a guide, but there were just too many things to keep track of while swimming. It’s hard to tell where I was and which direction to go,” she said.

“In the pool, everything is controlled – the water temperature, the flow, when to turn, even how many strokes I take per lap.”

It was also a first time for Dutch swimmer Arno Kamminga, who claimed two silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“In the pool, it's so straight and so clean, and here it's kind of a mess. Everyone's around, screaming, lots of noise. You don't really know when to start. So that was definitely weird but also a lot of fun,” he said.

“And then just racing around, it was tough, because you actually want to swim well and race for it. But luckily, I took a couple of times to look around, because that's what definitely makes it worth it.”

Keith Sin, another Hong Kong team marathon swimmer, won the men's race.