“The competition is tough,” said Hwang Sun-woo, South Korean swimming icon and world No. 1 in the 200-meter men’s freestyle. I will challenge for a medal without any defenses,” he said, expressing his humility and determination.
The Korean athletics, diving 안전놀이터 and artistic swimming teams held a media day on July 27 at the Champion House in Jincheon Athletes’ Village. The tournament will be held from July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan.
The Korean team consists of 21 athletes and 11 coaches. Training at Jincheon Athletes’ Village The diving and artistic swimming teams will depart on July 11 and the management team on July 20.
Hwang Sun-woo, who made Korean swimming history when he won a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle at Budapest last year and rose to the top of the world rankings in the event, will be the center of attention ahead of the World Championships.
Expectations are especially high for Hwang, as rival David Popovic of Romania finished the men’s 100-meter freestyle race at the Sete Coli Trophy in 48.10 seconds, one second slower than Hwang’s time.
However, Hwang said, “Anyway, Popovic’s (200m freestyle) best time is 1:42.9. Even if he hasn’t had a good time lately, I think we’ll find out (who has a better time) when we go to Fukuoka and meet face-to-face.”
“Of course there’s Popovic,” he said, “but there’s also Fan Zhanle from China, Katsuhiro Machimoko from Japan, and Tom Dean from Great Britain, who are all doing very well. I need to be more focused and not let my guard down to do well,” he said.
When asked what kind of time he thinks he needs to achieve his goal, Hwang thought for a moment and said, “At the Tokyo Olympics, you only needed to go under 1:44 to win a medal, but since the World Championships in Budapest last year, the overall time has improved. This time, Popovic is also present, so I think I will have to break 43 seconds to win the gold medal.”
Hwang, meanwhile, is preparing for almost every event he could compete in at the Games, including the 100m and 200m freestyle, the 400m and 800m freestyle relays, and the 800m medley relay. “It’s also important to manage my physical fitness at the competition site. “I’ll see how things go in Fukuoka first and then make adjustments,” he said.
“My teammates’ times are all getting better and better,” he said, adding, “If they (the four swimmers) can pull off a half-second each at the World Championships, we can win our first gold medal in the team event at the next Asian Games in Hangzhou.”
Here is a one-on-one interview with Hwang.
-What are your thoughts ahead of the World Championships?
I am training hard with my teammates. We have prepared well and I hope to perform well in both the individual and team events.
-Rival Popovic hasn’t been performing well in the 100-meter freestyle lately.
Popovic’s best time is 1:42.9. We’ll have to see how he fares in Fukuoka.
-Who are you most wary of?
▶Of course, Popovic, but there are a lot of other athletes in the 1:44s. China’s Fan Zhanle (1:44.65), Japan’s Katsuhiro Machimoto (1:44.98) and Great Britain’s Tom Dean (1:44.93) are all in the 44s. The times of five or six players are mixed. Not only Popovic, but all the other athletes will have to race with caution.
-China’s Fan Zhanle has been in particularly good form lately.
“I first saw him at the Abu Dhabi Championships in 2021, and I thought he was a good swimmer then, and then he did really well at the World Championships in Budapest last year. I heard that at the Chinese national trials, he had very good times in the 100m, 200m and 400m.
Of course there will be pressure. But if we don’t put any pressure on each other and race together in good faith, I think I can do well.
- What do you think would have happened if the Asian Games had been held last year as planned?
A lot of people tell me that if the Asian Games had been held last year, my chances of winning gold would have been better because other athletes’ records hadn’t been posted yet. But I’m not going to let that bother me, I’m going to focus more on performing well at the upcoming Games.
-What are your exact goals for this meet?
I want to get on the podium in the 200 freestyle for the second consecutive World Championships, and the 800 freestyle relay has improved by one or two seconds. If we are lucky and we have the right combination, we can get on the podium in the 800-meter freestyle relay. I hope to break 1:43 in the 200m freestyle within the year, and if the 800m freestyle relay can improve by half a second per swimmer at the World Championships, we can win our first team gold medal at the Asian Games in September.
-What kind of time would it take to win gold in the 200 freestyle?
Until the Tokyo Olympics, I thought I would only need to break 1:44. But since the World Championships in Budapest, the times have leveled off. Now, even a 1:44 is no guarantee of a medal. There’s Popovic (whose best time is 1:42), so he needs to break 1:43.