Hwang Sun-woo Amazed Japan Too... NHK Praises Him as "Deserving of a Medal"

▲Player Hwang Sun-woo [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Japan's public broadcaster NHK focused on Hwang Sun-woo (18), who advanced to the men's 200m freestyle final at the Tokyo Olympics.

According to NHK on the 27th, the host and commentator showed great interest in Hwang Sun-woo from the beginning of the morning broadcast. When Hwang, who was in the lead, reached the 100m turn with a time of 49.78 seconds (according to the broadcast screen), the host exclaimed, "He went under 50 seconds," and said, "That's quite a fast time," unable to hide his excitement.

Although Hwang maintained the lead up to 150m but was overtaken in the last 50m and missed the medal positions, NHK continued to pay attention to him.

The commentator praised, "Hwang Sun-woo is 18 years old and had a wonderful race in the 49-second range in the first 100m," adding, "It was truly a race worthy of a medal." He continued, "This athlete will be someone who leads the way in the future."

He analyzed, "Other athletes probably did not expect Hwang Sun-woo to lead by that much."

The host also evaluated Hwang by saying, "He is still a young athlete at 18 years old," and added, "I was surprised. He was aggressive."

Hwang Sun-woo became the first Korean swimmer to reach an Olympic final in 9 years since Park Tae-hwan (32), but finished 7th by touching the pad.