Hwang Sun-woo Sets Asian Record in 100m Freestyle... Advances to Finals

47.56 Seconds... First Korean Athlete to Reach Finals in This Event

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hwang Sun-woo (18, Seoul Physical Education High School) broke the Asian record in the men's 100m freestyle and advanced to the final in his first-ever Olympics.

On the morning of the 28th, at the Aquatics Center in Tokyo, Japan, during the men's 100m freestyle semifinal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Hwang touched the pad at 47.56 seconds. He placed 3rd in heat 1 and 4th overall among sixteen swimmers, qualifying for the final where eight compete. This is the first time a Korean athlete has reached the final in this event.

The time he posted set a new Asian record. It shaved 0.09 seconds off the previous record of 47.65 seconds set by China's Ning Zetao at a domestic competition in October 2014. The world record for this event is 46.91 seconds, held by Brazil's Cesar Cielo.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hwang Sun-woo could break his own record again in the final. His upward momentum is clear. In November last year, he won the men's 100m freestyle at the national swimming trials held in Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk, setting a Korean record of 48.25 seconds. In the national swimming trials in May, which determined qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, he improved that time by 0.21 seconds to 48.04 seconds.

This trend of record-breaking swims continues in this competition. Hwang first entered the 47-second range (47.97) during the preliminary heats the day before. He then improved that time within a day, signaling a new era for Korean swimming. The final will be held on the morning of the 29th.