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| Swimmer Hwang Sun-woo checks his time after the men's 100-meter freestyle event at the Olympics at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Thursday. Yonhap |
Hwang finishes fifth in 100-meter freestyle
By Lee Min-hyung
Teenage swimmer Hwang Sun-woo has opened a new era in Korean's swimming at the Olympics by finishing fifth in the much-anticipated men's 100-meter freestyle final, the highest ranking for an Asian competitor in 69 years.
Hwang's stunning rise to the Olympic final is arousing hopes that he will grow to become a strong gold contender during the Paris Olympics in 2024, as swimmers often reach their athletic prime in their early- to mid-20s. Hwang has set personal records multiple times during his first-ever Olympics at the early age of 18.
He narrowly failed to clinch a medal in the final with a times of 47.82 seconds, a slight margin of 0.38 seconds behind Russia's Kliment Kolosnikov who took bronze. But Hwang made history by advancing to the men's 100-meter Olympic final as the first Asian in 69 years since Japan's Hiroshi Suzuki. In the semifinals, he also set a new Asia record of 47.56 seconds.
Attention is now on whether he will be able to grow up to be a world-class swimmer after Olympic medalist Park Tae-hwan. Park has been considered the icon of Asian swimming after he won a surprising gold at the 2008 Olympics.
Hwang, however, made headlines for breaking Park's 200-meter Asia record during the qualification round of the Tokyo Olympics, Sunday. No Asian swimmer had ever beaten Park's record over the past 11 years.
He looked relieved after the 100-meter competition, expressing excitement for swimming against the world's top athletes.
"My strategy for the 100-meter final was just to go all-out without thinking too much," he told reporters during the post-match interview. "I am honored to have raced with wonderful athletes during the Olympics.
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| Hwang Sun-woo swims at Tokyo Aquatics Centre during the men's 100-meter freestyle final of the Olympics, Thursday. Yonhap |
Hwang is also standing at the center of public attention due to his better-than-expected performance in the 100-meter race. Both Park and Chinese swimming star Sun Yang, who has been a long-time rival of Park, had not shown any outstanding achievement in the short-distance event when they were in their prime.
But Hwang proved his potential for growth in the sprint event which has long been a big hurdle for Asian athletes to overcome, as Western swimmers have physical advantages in sprint swimming.
He also underscored the need for muscle growth for him to achieve a better record in the event.
"The 100-meter freestyle is a speedy race, so it is so fun for me," he said. "I also love the 200-meter distance race. I have an attachment to both races."
"I think I should train for muscular strength by doing weight training, which will help me get a better performance."
Hwang will also take part in the men's 50-meter freestyle scheduled for Friday evening. No Asian swimmer has ever clinched a medal in the event ever since the 50-meter freestyle was selected as an official Olympic event back in 1988.
The 50-meter race is not the major competition for Hwang despite anticipation from his fans.
"I have not had a lot of thinking about the event, so I will join the race by clearing my thoughts," he said. "I am so satisfied that I made my way to the 100-meter freestyle final during the Olympics."
On Tuesday, Hwang also missed out on an opportunity to stand on the podium during the men's 200-meter freestyle final when he finished seventh in a time of 1:45.26. In the race, he was leading up to 150 meters, but ended up dropping his pace in the last 50 meters.
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