Seoul: Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min, the leading figures in South Korean swimming, have announced their ambitious plans to secure multiple medals and set new records at this year's Asian Games.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the two prominent swimmers, along with their national team colleagues, departed for Sydney on Thursday. Their journey is in preparation for the Asian Games scheduled from September 19 to October 4 in Nagoya, Japan. During their stay in Australia, they will also participate in the Australian national team trials. While the competition is open to international athletes, they will not be eligible to compete in the finals.
Before boarding his flight to Australia, Hwang shared with reporters that the upcoming trials would be an excellent opportunity to assess his current form ahead of the Asian Games, which are approximately 100 days away. Hwang, who previously secured six medals, including two golds at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, expressed optimism about his performance.
Reflecting on past achievements, Hwang mentioned, "We did well as a team in Hangzhou, but swimmers from China and Japan have been on the rise lately. We have to prepare hard to perform as well as we did in Hangzhou." Holding the Asian record in the 200m freestyle, Hwang aims to surpass his previous mark of 1:43.92 set last year.
Kim, who also achieved remarkable success in Hangzhou with four medals, including three golds, echoed Hwang's sentiments. "I want to enter as many races as possible and win as many medals as possible. That's my primary goal," Kim stated, underscoring his intention to relish the competitive experience.
At the Australian competition, Kim plans to focus on refining his techniques rather than chasing results. He intends to compete in the 100m backstroke, an event he hasn't participated in since finishing second in a domestic competition in 2023. This decision is part of his broader strategy to prepare for the demanding schedule of the Asian Games.
"I'm taking it seriously," Kim remarked. "I haven't done much training, but I will try to post a good time. I will try to fix whatever needs to be fixed over the next 100 days and try to be perfect at the Asian Games."