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| Hwang Sun-woo hit the touchpad in 1:45.40 and won the 200m freestyle final of the KB Financial Korea Swimming Championship at Gimcheon Indoor Swimming Pool in Gyeongbuk Province on March 27, surpassing the international federation record (1:46.70). The photo shows Hwang Sun-woo, who has confirmed his participation at the World Championships for five consecutive times. Photo courtesy = Korea Swimming Federation |
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The main event of Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon Provincial Office), the 200m freestyle, is expected to be the biggest battleground at the Singapore World Swimming Championships this year.
James Guy and Duncan Scott tied for first place in the 200m freestyle final of the Aquatics GB Swimming Championship in London, England, on the 21st (Korea time), taking a touchpad at 1:45.08 at the same time. Last year's Paris Olympics silver medalist Matthew Richards finished third with a time of 1:45.35. Shortly after the start, Richaz took on the challenge of storm spurting and leading the way, eventually allowing a last-minute turnaround in Guy and Scott.
With the silver medal in the 200m freestyle and the 800m relay gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Richards has already secured all the individual and team competitions, and it is very interesting to see who will start the 200m individual event at the Singapore World Championships, Guy or Scott. Guy, who was the "2015 World Championship 200m Champion", secured a berth to the world championship as a member of the men's 800m relay gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and his personal record was 1:45.04 at the time.
Scott, a silver medalist in this event at the Tokyo Olympics, recorded a personal best of 1:44:26 in the 200m freestyle, with the 200m butterfly (1:54.89) and the 200m individual medley (1:56.41) also topping the list.
After tying for first place, Scott said "I'm really happy to go to Singapore. I didn't know where I could be in this competition, but I was very surprised myself. I'm so excited," he said, expressing anticipation. Richaz, the 2023 World Championship winner, said after giving his rivals a come-from-behind victory "My plan was to aim for a different championship. Through the preliminary selection, I was able to try swimming in a way that I had not done before"Maybe I won't do this again at the World Championships this summer."
Meanwhile, Hwang Sun-woo's record of 1:45:03 at the National Sports Festival in October last year was the world's No. 1 freestyle in this season, which began after last year's Paris Olympics. David Popovich (1:44.72), a Paris Olympic gold medalist who is Hwang Sun-woo's rival and holds a record of 42 seconds, recorded 1:45.07 at the Romanian Championship on the 10th. Guy and Scott's time of 1:45.08 on the day is the world's third-best record for the season. Lucas Mertens broke Paul Wiedermann's world record of 16 years with a time of 3:39.96 in the 400-meter freestyle at the Stockholm Open, setting a season record of 1:45.55.
Hwang Sun-woo confirmed his trip to Singapore with a time of 1:45.40 and No. 1 in the 200m freestyle at the KB Financial Korea Swimming Championship, which also served as the world championship selection last month. When Lee Jong-mok won the gold medal at the Doha World Swimming Championships last year, he recorded 1:44.75. At the Paris Olympics last summer, when he was on a medal pace, he failed to control his condition and failed to achieve his goal. Swimming fans around the world are paying keen attention to whether Hwang Sun-woo will succeed in defending the title in the 200m freestyle, which is expected to be the best battleground in Singapore this summer. Hwang Sun-woo's personal record and Korean new record is 1:44:40 (2023 Hangzhou Asian Games), Sun Yang (China)'s 1:44:39 (2017 Budapest World Championships), and Paul Wiedermann's world record is 1:42:00 (2009 Rome World Championships) in full-body swimsuits. Hwang Sun-woo, along with his colleagues from the management team, is raising his physical strength and record through off-season training until the 21st of next month in Miyazaki, Japan.
The Singapore World Swimming Championships will be held from July 27 to Aug. 3. The men's 200m freestyle preliminary - final round is scheduled for July 28, and the men's 800m relay where Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Woo-min and others are eager for the gold podium is scheduled for August 1.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
