Back Su-yeon looks to Gwangju with confidence

Swimmer Back Su-yeon warms up ahead of the women’s breaststroke event at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China, in this July 2011 file photo. / Yonhap

By Kwon Ji-youn

Swimmer Back Su-yeon, 23, has always fallen a little short of her goals.

At the 2012 London Olympics, she finished ninth in the 200-meter breaststroke, her main event, to just barely miss the cutoff for the finals. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, she recorded 2:25.61s but finished 10th.

At the Incheon Asian Games last year, Back missed the podium with a fourth-place finish at 2:25.79s.

“But the London Games remain one of my most memorable experiences,” Back said in an interview with The Korea Times. “I refused to let my competitors intimidate me, and I was confident from beginning to end. It was a competition that was rewarding, but still left a lot to be desired.”

Back began swimming at age six, and took to it professionally when she was in 5th grade. When she joined the national team in 2005, she wasn’t a standout, but her perseverance gave her a lap time that eventually put her on the map.

“My strength is my diligence,” Back said. “I worked tirelessly for 10 years to make up for my shortcomings and remain a member of the national team. In high school, my form, stroke and balance fell apart during a lengthy slump, but even then, I stuck to my training schedule and thankfully, my lap time didn’t suffer too much.”

Back says her weaknesses are with her stroke and buoyancy, and she claims she is not very flexible.

“But training tirelessly has gotten me this far,” she added. “And I’m also very grateful to my former coach Ahn Jong-taek, who is now at the helm of the national team.”

Back will soon compete at the upcoming Gwangju Universiade, set for July 3 through 14.

“It’s an honor to be able to compete at a mega sporting event held here in Korea,” Back said. “I will be appearing in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events, and as it is my first big competition of the season, I hope to make it my best.”

The Universiade will mark Back’s third appearance in an international competition at home, and will lay the groundwork for the Rio Olympics next year. At Gwangju, she will be without her rival and good friend Jeong Da-rae, who announced her retirement from professional swimming earlier this year.

“When Jeong told me she would be retiring, memories of our time together on the national team flashed through my mind,” Back said. “But her absence won’t affect my performance because, for now, I’m focusing on my own race and pace.

“Appearing in an international event here in Korea is a rare opportunity,” she continued. “Koreans in the stands will be cheering us on. I think confidence will be the key to my success at Gwangju.”

The feats of the women’s swimming team in Korea have at times been overshadowed by the accomplishments of “marine boy” Park Tae-hwan. Worries have been mounting over the fact that there aren’t many Korean swimmers who can take over from Park when he retires.

“It is not common for Korean swimmers to go overseas for training,” Back said.

“Training and competing against prospects here in Korea is helpful, I’m sure, but there is a need for athletes to go up against foreign talent and experience what else is out there.”

Back hopes to remain actively involved with the sport even when she retires.

“When I retire from professional swimming, I would like to work for FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation or the International Swimming Federation),” she said. “I’m not sure exactly what I would do there, but I want to contribute to the development of swimming in Korea. With such a goal in mind, I have been working on my English.”