Challenge for World Championship and Olympic medals in 200m freestyle and 800m relay
Sunwoo Hwang, ‘There are too many medals, right?’
‘Korea’s swimming symbol’ Hwang Seon-woo is holding up his medal after returning to Korea through Incheon International Airport Passenger Terminal 1 on the afternoon of the 30th.
Hwang Seon-woo (20, Gangwon Provincial Office) is a ‘freestyle powerhouse’ that world swimming is paying attention to.
Hwang Sun-woo is also considered a ‘key athlete’ at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, which opens on the 2nd and begins the popular event management schedule on the 11th.
Interest in Hwang Sun-woo grew as male management stars such as Qin Haiyang (China), Kyle Chalmers (Australia), and David Popovic (Romania) did not participate in this tournament.
The International Swimming Federation recently conducted a written interview with Hwang Sun-woo and posted it on its website on January 31 (local time).
This is a scene that confirms Hwang Sun-woo’s status.Hwang Sun-woo also ‘promoted’ the rapidly growing Korean swimming, especially men’s freestyle.
He said, “Korean swimming has grown rapidly recently. In the past, only a small number of athletes in Korea competed on the Olympic stage, but now they participate in the Olympics and World Championships in various events.” “We aim for higher performance,” he said.
He then expressed his grand ambitions, saying, “Preparing for the Olympics with my teammates on the Korean swimming team is a good motivation for me. I want to show what we have prepared at the Paris Olympics.”
Sunwoo Hwang attracted attention by becoming the first Korean athlete and the first Asian athlete to reach the finals in this event in the 100m freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, 65 years after Atsushi Tani (Japan) at the 1956 Melbourne Games.
In the 200m freestyle preliminaries, he set a new Korean record and a new world junior record at the time of 1 minute 44.62 seconds and advanced to the semifinals. After that, he became the first Korean athlete to reach the Olympic management finals in 9 years since Park Tae-hwan at the 2012 London Games and took 7th place.
Afterwards, Sunwoo Hwang achieved the feat of winning two consecutive medals at the long course (50m) World Championships in his main event, the 200m freestyle.
It ranked second in Budapest in 2022 and third in Fukuoka in 2023.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games held last fall, he won six medals (2 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze), including wins in the 200m freestyle and 800m men’s relay.
Hwang Sun-woo said, “This result could not have been achieved without the support of the fans,” and promised, “After the Tokyo Olympics, many fans have supported me. Korean fans’ interest in swimming has also increased. I will do my best to meet the fans’ expectations.”
‘Ascending the podium together’
In 2024, the World Championships will be held in February and the Olympics will be held in July and August.
Sunwoo Hwang’s goal this year is to win individual and team medals at the World Championships and Olympics.
In particular, in recent interviews, winning a medal in the men’s 800m relay is often brought up as a topic.
In an interview with the International Swimming Federation, Hwang Sun-woo said, “Winning the gold medal in the men’s 800m relay at the Hangzhou Asian Games is a proud achievement,” and added, “In relay, all four swimmers must perform well to win a medal. It is a proud achievement thanks to the team members’ effort and dedication.” I looked back and said, “I achieved results.”
He continued, “It’s really enjoyable to win a medal in an international team competition. The challenge of winning a medal in the team event at the World Championships and Olympics is a strong motivation for me and my colleagues.”
Korean swimming has yet to win a team medal at the World Championships or Olympics.
Hwang Sun-woo is confident of winning a medal in the 800m relay at the Doha World Championships, where he will be paired with Kim Woo-min (Gangwon Provincial Office), Lee Ho-jun (Jeju City Hall), and Lee Yu-yeon (Goyang City Hall).
Winning three consecutive medals in the 200m freestyle at the World Championships is also a key goal for Hwang Sun-woo in 2024.
He said, “I want to win a medal by breaking my personal record (1 minute 44.40 seconds) at the Doha World Championships ahead of the Paris Olympics.”
Sunwoo Hwang hopes to use the Doha World Championships as leverage to win a medal at the Paris Olympics. 토토사이트