Hwang Sun-woo (20-Gangwon Provincial Government) reaffirmed his status as Asia’s strongest swimmer in the 200m freestyle.
Hwang’s dreams of reaching the top of the Asian podium are set for the Paris Olympics.
Hwang Sun-woo won the men’s 200-meter freestyle final in 1 minute, 44.40 seconds on Sunday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Swimming Pool at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China.
After a disappointing bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle (48.04) on Thursday, Hwang rebounded with his teammates in the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay on Friday, followed by a silver in the men’s 400-meter medley relay on Saturday, and a gold in the 200-meter freestyle.
After the 200-meter freestyle, he swam the final leg of the 400-meter medley relay before the awards ceremony to share the bronze medal, making it two medals in one day.
Becoming the Asian Games champion in his main event, the 200-meter freestyle, means a lot.
His joy was compounded by breaking his own Korean record (1:44.42) and the meet record held by Park Tae-hwan (1:44.80).
His ‘rival’ Fan Zhanler (19-China), who finished second in 1:45.28, put his arm around Hwang during the ceremony, a tribute to the ‘champion’.
Hwang finished second (1:44.47) at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest and then third (1:44.42) in Fukuoka this year, completing a feat that only Park Tae-hwan had ever accomplished: winning two consecutive medals.
Hwang also became the first Korean swimmer to win two gold medals at a single Asian Games in 13 years.
Five years ago on August 13, 2018, just five days before the start of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang, then-Seoul junior Hwang Sun-woo was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the Presidential National Swimming Championships after winning a trio of titles in the 50-meter butterfly, 800-meter freestyle relay, and 400-meter medley relay.
In the meantime, Hwang has become a fixture on the Korean national swimming team, and his back-to-back medals at the World Championships have confirmed his international competitiveness.
In terms of his career, Hwang is following in the footsteps of Park Tae-hwan, the “greatest Korean swimmer of all time.
Park won 14 Asian Games medals (6 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze), 4 Olympic medals (1 gold, 3 silver), and 3 World Championship medals (2 gold, 1 bronze) in the long course (50 meters).
With 400 meters remaining in the men’s medley relay, Hwang Sun-woo has five Asian Games medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze).
He is currently tied for second on the single Asian Games swimming medal list, and one more medal would put him in sole possession of second place behind Park Tae-hwan (7 in Doha 2006 and 7 in Guangzhou 2010).
With two World Championship medals already under his belt, Hwang will become only the second South Korean swim executive in history to win both an Asian Games and 바카라사이트 World Championship medal, joining Park Tae-hwan.
In the 100-meter freestyle at Tokyo 2021, Hwang became the first South Korean and first Asian swimmer to reach the final of this event at an Olympic Games in 65 years, since Dani Atsushi (JPN) at Melbourne 1956.
He also qualified for the semifinals of the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:44.62, a new Korean and world junior record, before becoming the first Korean to reach an Olympic business final in nine years since Park Tae-hwan at London 2012, finishing seventh.
Hwang stagnated in the 100-meter freestyle, but lowered his personal best in the 200-meter freestyle to 1:44.40. She came within 0.01 seconds of Sun Yang’s Asian record (1:44.39).
No matter the meet, Hwang is the favorite to win the 200m freestyle.
Thanks to Hwang, South Korean fans can look forward to seeing a Korean swimmer on the podium at the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26 next year, 12 years after Park Tae-hwan (two silver medals) at London 2012.
If Hwang wins his first Olympic medal in gold, it will be the first time Korean swimming has had an Olympic gold medalist in 16 years since Park Tae-hwan in Beijing in 2008. 카지노사이트