Usually reticent and modest to a fault, South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo gave in to a moment of boastfulness Wednesday night at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
And no one could have blamed him -- not after Hwang broke his own national record and also the 13-year-old Asian Games record to win the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle.
Hwang came out on top in 1:44.40, shedding 0.02 second off the South Korean record he'd set two months ago. He also broke the competition record of 1:44.80, set by the Korean swimming legend Park Tae-hwan at the 2010 Asian Games in another Chinese city, Guangzhou.
"I've been improving my record by 0.01 or 0.02 second lately, and I figured I've reached a point where it's going to be hard to get much faster," Hwang said with the gold medal around his neck. "And to be able to cut another 0.02 second off my national record, it feels extremely gratifying. I feel so proud of this record, and I want to keep breaking it."
Hwang is now within one-hundredth of a second of the Asian continental record, held by Sun Yang of China. That mark has stood for six years and now appears in danger of tumbling any day now.
"I came so close to the Asian record, but I am going to keep racing," Hwang said. "I will stay focused on improving my personal best."
About an hour after winning the 200m free gold, Hwang returned to the pool and anchored South Korea to bronze in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
He has now bagged five medals in Hangzhou, having earlier won gold in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay, silver in the men's 4x100m medley relay and bronze in the men's 100m freestyle. Hwang sits two shy of matching Park's career high of seven -- from 2010 in Guangzhou and from 2006 in Doha.
"I didn't think I could win five medals at such a big competition like this," Hwang said. "I have another relay left tomorrow (in the men's 4x100m freestyle). I am really happy to have won a medal in every race I've entered, and hopefully, my hard work will pay off again in the relay tomorrow."
Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena has provided the stage for Hwang and Chinese star Pan Zhanle to take their budding rivalry to a new level. Pan took the upper hand earlier in the 100m free by winning gold with an Asian record time of 46.97 seconds, before Hwang had his moment to shine in the 200m free.
After the 200m race, Pan, who has often expressed his admiration for Hwang, grabbed the South Korean's hand and raised it above their shoulders, drawing thunderous roars from both Chinese and South Korean fans in the stands. Pan did the same thing on the podium at the end of the medal ceremony.
Hwang, 20, is a card-carrying member of this mutual admiration society.
"I've been competing with Pan Zhanle for a couple of years now, and we've become friendly over time," Hwang said of the 19-year-old Chinese. "He has set a tremendous record in the 100m, and he deserves all the accolades and respect. It'd be great if we can keep pushing each other."
The Hwang-Pan rivalry is reminiscent of the duel in freestyle between Park Tae-hwan and Chinese icon Sun Yang from about a decade ago. The two would trade medals in international competitions but were also known for their friendship away from the pool.
"It's great to have such a good rivalry with Pan Zhanle without any hostility," Hwang said. "I hope we can both represent Asia well at major events."
Source: Yonhap News Agency