Hwang Sun-woo, Who Made New History in Korean Swimming, Says "The 4x200m Freestyle Relay Stands Out... I Saw Hope"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] “I am happy to have set a new Korean record and won the silver medal in the 200m freestyle, but making it to the final in the 800m freestyle relay for the first time in South Korea really resonates with me. Honestly, I couldn’t see a thread of hope before, but now that I see hope, I feel I need to work even harder.”

These were the remarks of Hwang Sun-woo (19, Gangwon Province Office) at a press conference held on the 29th at CGV Cheongdam Cine City in Gangnam-gu. At the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships, Hwang set five domestic records: ▲Men’s 200m freestyle final (1:44.47) ▲Men’s 400m freestyle relay heats (3:15.68) ▲Men’s 800m freestyle relay heats (7:08.49) ▲final (7:06.93) ▲Mixed 400m freestyle relay (3:29.35).

Among these, the records set in the relay held special meaning because of the teamwork involved. Hwang did not hide his affection for the teammates and coaching staff with whom he trained. He said, “At the Gwangju competition three years ago, we didn’t have enough time to synchronize in the relay. But this time, the members trained together for almost a year, going back and forth between the athletes’ village and Australia (training camp), creating synergy as training partners.” He added, “The two coaches cooked for us like mothers in Australia, so I am especially grateful.”

What Hwang values most is the strength from food. The most difficult part of this competition was the insufficient meals. He said, “The food served didn’t suit my taste, so I felt it was insufficient. I supplemented with Korean food I brought.” He added, “I realized how important the diet is. I will prepare better next time.” The first food he ate after returning to Korea was samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly). He said, “I ate samgyeopsal with jjageuli (a type of stew). It made me realize once again how delicious Korean food is.”

For future competitions, he said he will pay attention to ‘energy distribution.’ Although he has a physical advantage to swim as the first swimmer to minimize the waves caused by larger foreign swimmers in team events, he still felt it was insufficient. He said, “Since I participated in all ten races this time, my body couldn’t keep up in the latter part, which was disappointing. Recovery after races is slow.” He added, “I don’t know yet which method to choose, but I plan to improve my stamina based on as much experience as possible.”

His improvement in touch skills is remarkable. Coach Leon Pope praised his performance highly. The remaining challenge is the dolphin kick (a movement where both feet are curled and kick downward to propel forward). Hwang said, “Currently, I do about 2 to 3 kicks, but I plan to increase it to about 4.”

When asked if he has surpassed swimmer Park Tae-hwan, he replied, “I don’t think it’s appropriate to say I have surpassed a swimmer who made a mark in the domestic swimming world.” He added, “I want to show a good performance at the Asian Olympic Games just as Park Tae-hwan showed great results at major competitions.”

Hwang previously participated in the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships held in Budapest, Hungary, where he won a silver medal in the 200m freestyle. This was the first world championship medal in 11 years since Park Tae-hwan won gold in the men’s 400m freestyle at the 2011 Shanghai competition. If limited to the 200m freestyle, it is the best result surpassing Park Tae-hwan’s bronze medal at the 2007 Melbourne competition.