Stephanie Au Hoi-shun was born in Hong Kong on 30 May 1992 and is a competitive swimmer specialising in backstroke and freestyle. She began formal training at eight and broke the Hong Kong 1500m freestyle record at thirteen, and she was a winner of the 24th Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards. Educated at Sacred Heart Canossian College, she went on to swim for the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 2014 with a degree in environmental economics and policy. Au is a five-time Olympian, competing at Beijing 2008 at the age of sixteen, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and she carried Hong Kong's flag at the Rio 2016 opening ceremony. At the Asian Games she has won a total of eight medals — one silver and seven bronze. She took bronze in the women's 4×100m freestyle relay at Guangzhou 2010 and in the 4×100m medley relay at Incheon 2014, and at Jakarta 2018 she was part of the women's 4×100m medley relay team that was lifted from fourth to silver after China and South Korea were disqualified — Hong Kong's best women's swimming result for 24 years. She has represented Hong Kong at five World Aquatics Championships and five short-course world championships, and won a 50m backstroke medal at the 2015 Gwangju Universiade. A holder of 18 Hong Kong national records, she remains one of the territory's best-known female athletes and also works in fashion and charity.
Stephanie Au has repeatedly broken Hong Kong backstroke and relay records and is one of the territory's most seasoned Olympians, with five Games to her name. Alongside relay medals at the Asian Games, her work in fashion and charity has raised the profile of women athletes and of swimming in Hong Kong.
Achievements
- 2008 · Made her Olympic debut at the Beijing Games at the age of sixteen.
- 2014 · Won bronze in the women's 4×100m medley relay at the Incheon Asian Games.
- 2016 · Carried Hong Kong's flag at the Rio Olympics opening ceremony.
- 2018 · Won silver in the women's 4×100m medley relay at the Jakarta Asian Games.