“Concentrate on 200 meters – nerves tired and sluggish the next day”
“Congenitally weak stamina, must cover with effort”

South Korean swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo (20-Gangwon Provincial Office) says he has experienced fitness issues at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and will work on them until the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September.

Hwang Sun-woo competed at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, until March 30, where he won a bronze medal in the 200-meter freestyle final with a Korean record of 1:44.42. In the 100-meter freestyle, however, he failed to qualify for the final after clocking 48.08 seconds in the semifinals. He also fell short of his personal best in the 800-meter freestyle relay.

“It’s very difficult to recover the next day after the 200m freestyle in a major competition,” he said at the national team’s media day at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Feb. 2. “Especially in the 200m, I was very focused and nervous, so the next day I was very tired and performed poorly.”

“To compensate, the only answer is to keep training,” he said, “I’m trying to make up for my congenital weaknesses with hard work and swimming.”

At the Hangzhou Asian Games, Hwang will be competing in the 200 and 100-meter freestyle events, as well as the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay and 400-meter medley relay. “It’s not bad to do the 100 meters first,” he said of the 200 meters after the 100 meters of freestyle at the Asian Games. It’s shorter and less demanding than the 200m,” he said, “but you have to do four team events in between. It’s a tough schedule, but at the Asian Games, I think I’m going to have to show my strength and take care of the team events.”

Enhancing physical fitness will be key to winning gold at the Asian Games. Hwang said, “I had a problem with my fitness this time, so I didn’t reach my personal best in the 800-meter freestyle relay, so I’m paying a lot of attention to my fitness. “I’ve been training, but I haven’t seen a noticeable increase in my stamina,” he said. “I think it’s important to increase the intensity of my physical training so that I can endure the many events at the Asian Games.

Hwang Sun-woo is determined to redeem himself at the Asian Games by beating China’s Fan Zhan-liu in the 100m freestyle at the World Championships. He said, “Fan Zhanle from China did a great job in the 100m freestyle with 47.04, which is an Asian record. “He didn’t do as well in the 200m, but his best time is similar to mine,” he said, “so that’s something I’ll be focusing on at the Asian Games.

Hwang said he would use a different strategy against Pan in the 200m and 100m freestyle. “He has a very good second half in the 100m freestyle, so I will have to follow him in the Asian Games and not put any pressure on myself,” he said. “In the 200m freestyle, I am still fast, 스포츠토토 but I will have to race with my guard up.”