swimmer-career
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| ▲ South Korean swimmer Kim Seo-yeong speaks at a press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, on June 27, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ South Korean swimmer Kim Seo-yeong poses for photos after a press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, on June 27, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ South Korean swimmers Kim Seo-yeong, Kim Woo-min, Hwang Sun-woo and Lee Ho-joon (L to R) pose for photos after a press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, on June 27, 2023. (Yonhap) |
swimmer-career
Veteran swimmer Kim Seo-yeong proud, appreciative of teammates
By Yoo Jee-ho
JINCHEON, South Korea, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean swimmer Kim Seo-yeong has been representing the country for more than a decade, dating back to times when the country had precious few swimmers competing internationally.
Those admittedly lonely days are long gone. Now 29, Kim will be captain of the 21-deep swimming team at this year's World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, next month. Kim said Tuesday she will cherish the opportunity to be the leader for her teammates, though she will also be leaning on them along the way.
"When I first started going to international events, I didn't have a lot of teammates, and I was pretty lonely," Kim said at the joint national team press conference at the Jincheon National Team Training Center in Jincheon, 85 kilometers south of Seoul. "There were times when I wanted to get some help and didn't know where to go."
This year's world championships squad features Hwang Sun-woo, the reigning world silver medalist in the men's 200-meter freestyle. Hwang will also be a part of the 2x400m freestyle relay team, which will be pushing for its second straight trip to the final.
"It's great to have these teammates around me, and I am proud of them. I sometimes feel envious, too," Kim said. "I am thankful for this opportunity to compete with them at the world championships and also the Asian Games this year."
In Fukuoka, Kim will try to reach the final in the 200m individual medley for the fourth consecutive world championships. She finished in sixth place in each of the last three events -- in 2017, 2019 and 2022.
Kim, who owns the national record at 2:08.34, said she wants to break the 2:10 mark at the worlds.
"It'd be an honor to reach the fourth straight final," she said. "But rather than focus on it, I will try to finish under 2:10."
Kim set that record while winning the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games. She had said at the time she had felt better during that race than any other point in her career.
"I don't think I am quite in that form right now," Kim said sheepishly. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, I lost a lot of strength, and I've been trying to get into better form. I will try to do my best under the circumstances."
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