South Korean star Hwang Sun-woo came within fractions of a second of giving himself another chance to win a medal at the ongoing world swimming championships in Japan on Wednesday.
After being left on the outside looking in, though, Hwang spoke about lessons learned and things he has to do better going forward.
Hwang finished in ninth place in the 100-meter freestyle semifinals of the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, with a time of 48.08 seconds. The eighth and final qualifier, Jack Alexy of the United States, was only 0.02 second faster than the South Korean.
Hwang also clocked 48.08 seconds in the semifinals of last year’s world championships in Budapest, where he ended in 11th place. He wasn’t able to improve on that time this year and also fell shy of his season best time of 47.79 seconds.
There were some extenuating circumstances for Hwang. He won the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle final, which began just after 8 p.m. Tuesday. After getting home about half past midnight, Hwang returned to the pool on an 8:30 a.m. shuttle bus to warm up for the heats just past 11 a.m.
“When I first got into the pool for the warmup this evening, my body felt a bit heavy. I figured it was due to all the fatigue that had accumulated,” Hwang said. “I was in denial, but it was a little tough during the race.”
Hwang said after the heats that he was getting better at preparing his body for the quick turnaround but then admitted after the semifinals that he still has work cut out for him.
“I am disappointed that I couldn’t crack 48 seconds,” he said. “I wasn’t able to put my body into optimal shape. I think I did a little better job than last year because I have more experience now, but I still have room for improvement.”
If Hwang had matched his season best, he would have ranked seventh in the semifinals. Hwang still holds the national record in the event at 47.56 seconds, set during the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. The 20-year-old said he was “a little concerned” that he hasn’t been able to break that record for two years.
“It’s something I have to pay close attention to as I move forward,” Hwang said. “I have to take care of my body better.”
On the other hand, winning his second straight medal in the 200m freestyle and doing so while breaking his own national record qualified as a resounding success for Hwang.
“I think it was a major gain for me to break my record and win the bronze medal at the same time in the 200m,” said Hwang, who touched the pad in 1:44.42. “Now I am within 0.03 second of the Asian record, and I will try my best to surpass that mark.”
Hwang is now done with individual races, and he will be in the men’s 2x400m freestyle relay Friday.
Hwang and two other members of the team, Kim Woo-min (400m freestyle) and Lee Ho-joon (200m freestyle), have all competed in the finals of their respective individual races, further boosting South Korea’s hopes for its first world championships medal in a relay race.
“I will have a full day off tomorrow, and I will be ready to give everything I have in the relay,” Hwang said. “Last year in Budapest, we put on a good show and reached the final. We all have better individual times now than last year, and so we’re going to go for a medal this time.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency