South Korean swimming has made a leap forward at the 2023 International Swimming Federation World Championships in Fukuoka, setting the stage for its best-ever performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
Korean swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo won bronze in the men’s 200-meter freestyle. Lee Ho-joon and Kim Woo-min made notable improvements in their individual events. Together with Hwang, they finished sixth in the 800-meter freestyle relay.
In addition, the team broke eight Korean records at the Games, three in individual events and five in the team event, the medley relay.
After a successful World Championships, the team returned home on July 31 and set their sights on the Asian Games. There are mixed expectations for the team’s best-ever performance at an Asian Games. South Korea’s most gold medals at a single Asian Games are four, won at Guangzhou 2010. Park Tae-hwan won the men’s freestyle triple (100m-200m-400m) and Jung Darae won a surprise gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke.
At the upcoming Asian Games, South Korea will be looking for more than five gold medals. Hwang Sun-woo will compete in the 200m and 100m freestyle, and Kim Woo-min in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle. The 800-meter freestyle relay team of Hwang Sun-woo, Lee Ho-joon, Kim Woo-min, and Yang Jae-hoon could also win gold.
“I’m really happy that I prepared well for this meet and finished well,” said Kim Woo-min, who finished fifth in the 400m freestyle and broke the Korean record in the 800m, in an interview at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday.
Kim said he hopes to improve his performance at the Asian Games based on his experience at this meet. “I watched a lot of other swimmers and saw some things that I was lacking, so I’m going to make up for it,” he said. “I’m going to prepare hard and sincerely as I always do, so I’m going to show a really good performance at the Asian Games.”
Kim said he hopes to win three or four gold medals at the Asian Games. “I think if I work hard, it will follow, so I still want to win more than three,” he said, adding that he would like to see up to four.
Lee Ho-joon, who finished sixth in the 200m freestyle final, also promised to make an impact at the Asian Games. “This is my first time reaching the final of the World Championships in an individual event, so if I continue to improve my time, 메이저사이트 I think I can create a good picture of two Koreans on the podium at the Asian Games,” he said.
Lee was also on target to win gold in the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay. “As a relay team, if we can swim together in a good mood, I am positive that we can win gold in the medley relay and even challenge for the Asian record,” he said.
“The Asian Games are only about a month and a half away, and I really want to be on the podium in my individual events, the 100m and 200m freestyle, and in the case of the 200m, it’s the No. 1 time in Asia if you look at the results of the World Championships, so I think I’ll have to train hard to keep it,” said Hwang Sun-woo.