swimming-relay team
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| ▲ South Korean swimmers Lee Ho-joon, Yang Jae-hoon, Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min (L to R) leave the pool after competing in the heats for the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 28, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ South Korean swimmers Yang Jae-hoon, Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min (L to R) watch their teammate Lee Ho-joon swim the final leg of the men's 4x200-meter freestyle heats at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 28, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Hwang Sun-woo of South Korea competes in the heats for the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 28, 2023. (Yonhap) |
swimming-relay team
Relay team breaks nat'l record to reach 2nd straight final at swimming worlds
By Yoo Jee-ho
FUKUOKA, Japan, July 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea qualified for its second straight final in the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the swimming world championships Friday, as a year-old national record tumbled.
The quartet of Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Woo-min, Yang Jae-hoon and Lee Ho-joon came home in 7:06.82 to place sixth overall in the heats held at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka. The top eight teams will compete in the final scheduled for 9:40 p.m. Friday.
The previous record was 7:06.93, set while South Korea finished sixth at last year's world championships. It was the best finish by a South Korean relay team at the worlds, and this year's quartet, with Yang replacing Lee Yoo-yeon, will look to surpass that performance this time.
South Korea was in Heat 2, alongside title favorites Britain and the United States.
Hwang, the 200m freestyle bronze medalist from Tuesday, led off the relay. He was in first place at the 100m mark before falling back to sixth. Kim, who finished fifth in the 400m freestyle Sunday, took over and dragged South Korea up to third place at the halfway point.
Yang, making his Fukuoka debut after not being in any individual events, kept South Korea in the race despite some shaky early moments. South Korea was in fourth with 200 meters to go.
Lee, sixth in the 200m freestyle earlier in the week, covered the home stretch in 1:46.20 to put South Korea in third place behind the United States (7:06.07) and Britain (7:06.20) in Heat 2 and sixth overall.
Australia had the fastest time in the heats in 7:04.37.
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