South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo has set high standards for himself, and understandably so, given his recent international success.
And after he took the bronze medal in the men's 100-meter freestyle at the Asian Games in China on Sunday, with a relatively poor time at that, Hwang wasn't all smiles.
Making his Asiad debut in Hangzhou, Hwang finished in third place with a time of 48.04 seconds, well off his own South Korean record of 47.56 seconds from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Chinese teen sensation Pan Zhanle broke his own Asian record to win the gold in 46.97 seconds.
"I am pleased to win the bronze medal at my first Asian Games," said Hwang, who didn't look the part. "I am a little disappointed with my time. I want to make up for this in my remaining races, and I will really bear down for those events."
Hwang is scheduled to enter the men's 4x200m freestyle Monday and then the 200m freestyle Wednesday. The 200m free is Hwang's main event, as attested by his silver medal at the 2022 world championships and bronze medal at this year's worlds just two months ago.
Hwang swam in Lane 5, after finishing second in the heats from earlier Sunday. Pan, who finished the heats in third place, was in Lane 3 in the final.
Pan didn't have a great reaction time off block but still had the fastest 50m split in 22.45 seconds en route to setting the continental record.
Hwang admitted that he couldn't really see Pan because he was two lanes away, but Pan's record-breaking performance will inspire him, too.
"He finished in the 46-second range, and that's an incredible performance," Hwang said. "He's an incredible athlete, and I'll have to train hard to catch him. I am disappointed with my time, and I'll try to improve on my personal best time."
Hwang has little time to wallow in self-pity, with the relay final scheduled some 24 hours later.
Hwang, Kim Woo-min, Lee Ho-joon and Yang Jae-hoon have been breaking their own national records virtually every time they've jumped into the pool lately. At July's worlds, they broke it twice -- first in the heats and then in the final -- to finish sixth, the best performance by an Asian team.
"My teammates and I have been working really hard for the relay," Hwang said. "Our chemistry is great, and my teammates are in tremendous form. If we can stay focused, I think we'll be able to accomplish our goal."
Source: Yonhap News Agency