Freestyle swimmer Hwang Sun-woo clocks fastest 100m time in 2 yrs in worlds tuneup

Freestyle swimmer Hwang Sun-woo clocks fastest 100m time in 2 yrs in worlds tuneup: More Sports / 유지호 / 2023-06-14 18:26:05

swimmer-performance

▲ South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo checks his time after winning the men's 100-meter freestyle title at the National Swimming Championships at Nambu University International Swimming Pool in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo competes in the men's 100-meter freestyle final at the National Swimming Championships at Nambu University International Swimming Pool in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

swimmer-performance

Freestyle swimmer Hwang Sun-woo clocks fastest 100m time in 2 yrs in worlds tuneup

GWANGJU, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo posted his fastest 100-meter freestyle time in two years in a tuneup for the upcoming world championships Wednesday.

Hwang won the men's 100m freestyle title at the National Swimming Championships in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, with a time of 47.79 seconds.

Hwang owns the national record in the event with 47.56 seconds, set in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Hwang's time on Wednesday is the fourth-best mark in the 100m freestyle in the world this year. Pan Zhanle of China ranks first with 47.22 seconds, and David Popovici of Romania, the reigning world champion, is behind Pan at 47.61 seconds. Matthew Richards of Britain is third with 47.72 seconds.

Popovici is also the world record holder with 46.86 seconds.

On Tuesday at the national championships, Hwang won the 200m freestyle title with 1:44.61, the fastest time in the world this season.

Hwang won silver in the 200m free at last year's world championships but didn't qualify for the final in the 100m.

Hwang failed to break the 48-second mark in the heats and the semifinals of the 100m free then. And at the national team trials in March this year, Hwang clocked 48.21 seconds.

With some momentum behind him, Hwang will be chasing medals at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July and then at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September.

"It's not such a bad time. I feel like I've taken an important step forward before the worlds and the Asian Games," Hwang said after the race at Nambu University International Swimming Pool. "I ran out of steam over the final 15 or so meters, and I should fix that."

Hwang covered the first 50m in 22.92 seconds but needed 24.87 seconds to complete the final 50m.

"In the 100m, I have to be faster early in the race," Hwang said. "And I have to get my final 50m split down to the low 24s. I have to improve my endurance."

Hwang said his conditioning issues had cost him a chance to win a medal in the 100m at last year's world championships. The 100m heats were held less than 24 hours after Hwang's 200m final.

Hwang was unexpectedly given a second chance to race in the semifinals. He hadn't initially qualified but snuck in as the first alternate after Caeleb Dressel of the United States, two-time defending world champion in the 100m, withdrew for medical reasons. Hwang couldn't take advantage and finished 11th among the 16 semifinalists, with only the top seven moving on to the final.

"Last year, I wasn't satisfied with the way I managed my body," Hwang said. "In Fukuoka this time, I will try to reach the final in the 100m and break my record."

Hwang will likely have a better shot at reaching the podium in the 200m, though he wouldn't let himself get too far ahead.

"Though I won silver in the 200m last year, it's hard to tell how the race will play out this year because a lot of swimmers have been in the 1:44 range," Hwang said. "I will try to focus on improving my own time."

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