Hwang Sun-woo expects big things from the Asian Games

The upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games will mark a big leap forward for Korean swimming, Hwang Sun-woo predicted Monday on his return from the World Aquatics Championships in Japan.

Hwang Sun-woo competes in the semifinals of the men's 100-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan on July 26. [NEWS1]

The upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games will mark a big leap forward for Korean swimming, Hwang Sun-woo predicted Monday on his return from the World Aquatics Championships in Japan.

Hwang came back to Korea with a bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter freestyle, which he won with a time of 1:44:42.

That time was faster than his own record set in the same race last year and allowed him to become the first-ever Korean ever to medal at back-to-back world championships — a silver medal at the men’s 200-meter freestyle at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Hungary.

“There are swimmers with the best records in many disciplines,” Hwang said on Monday at Incheon International Airport in Incheon. “If they work hard and earn medals and the records they want, it will be the Asian Games with the best records ever.

“I want to stand on the podium in both the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle. Since I managed the No. 1 record in Asia in this competition, I will train hard to maintain that position.”

Hwang was the only Korean swimmer to medal in this year's world championship, but a number of other Korean swimmers also proved their potential at the tournament.

Lee Ho-joon ended in sixth place in the race where Hwang medaled, while Kim Woo-min broke an 11-year-old record by Park Tae-hwan in the men’s 800-meter freestyle with a time of 7:47.69 — 2.24 seconds faster than Park.

Yang Jae-hoon also showed good form alongside Hwang, Lee and Kim in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, managing a sixth-place finish with a time of 7:04.07 — setting a national record.

Hwang then went on to break another record with Lee Ju-ho, Choi Dong-yeol and Kim Young-beom in the men’s 4x100 medley relay, managing a time of 3:34.25.

Those times suggested that Korean swimming overall has improved and Team Korea is able to compete with the best on the international stage.

“It was hard for Korean swimmers to reach even the semifinals at the 2019 Gwangju tournament,” Hwang said. “Two swimmers advanced to the final at this year’s tournament, and I feel that Korean swimming has improved a lot looking at the new national records.

“I am happy that I can be part of it.”

Hwang as well as the other Korean swimmers will now prepare for the upcoming Asian Games.

They may bring Korea’s first gold medal in the Asiad since 2010, when Korea won the most gold medals in the country’s history, at four.

Korea failed to earn a single gold in 2014 and secured one gold in the 2018 tournament — coming from Kim Seo-yeong in the women’s 200-meter individual medley.

The Asian Games, set to start on Sept. 23 in China, is just one of the competitions that Hwang has to prepare for, with a busy schedule ahead of him.

He will have to compete in the National Sports Festival in October and the national squad selection contest in November this year, before competing in the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar February next year and the Paris Olympics in July.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]