2 Korean National Records Go Down At WUGs Trials

2019 Korean National Trials #1

• March 1st – March 4th
• Gimcheon Swimming Pool
• LCM
• Results (in Korean)

The first of two national swimming trials for Korea took place over the weekend, with Asian Games swimmers Moon Jaekwon and Kim Seoyong both in the water vying for qualification times for this summer’s World University Games (Summer Universiade). Both swimmers were successful in spades, as each picked up a new national record in kick off their championships season.

For Jaekwon, the man who finished 6th in the 100m breaststroke at last summer’s Asian Games blew away his time from that competition with a new lifetime best in the event this weekend of 1:00.20. That scorches the 1:01.07 he put up in that final in Jakarta, and also shaves .29 off of his previous personal best and NR time of 1:00.49 from the New South Wales State Championships in 2018.

With his effort, Jaekwon now sits just outside the top 10 performers in the world in the event thus far this season. He would also win the 50m event at these Trials in 27.52, just .05 off the national record.

Seoyeong did damage across several events at the Gimcheon Swimming Pool, but her best performance came in the 200m freestyle. Clocking a mark of 1:58.41, Seoyeong dipped under the Korean national record of 1:58.64 that Easop Lee put on the books back in 2017 at a Pro Swim Series in the U.S.

Seoyeong now sits as the 10th fastest swimmer in the world in this event.

The next Korean Trials takes place June 1st – 4th, where Olympic champion Park Tae Hwan is expected to compete.

Additional Notable Swims at Korean Trials #1:

• Asian Games medalist Lee Juho took the men’s 100m back in 54.92 and the 200m back in 1:59.39.
• Yang Jaehoon was the men’s 50m free champion in 22.55, while he also snagged the 100m fly title in 52.94. Yang was also successful in the 100m free, where he beat the field in a time of 49.29.
• The men’s 200m free saw Lee Hojoon win in a mark of 1:48.54, while Yang Sughyun topped the podium in the 200m IM in 2:00.55
• The women’s 100m backstroke champion came in the form of Im Da Sol, who touched in 1:00.84. She also took the women’s 50m back in 28.48.
• Park Yeolin was the women’s 50 fly winner in 26.80, while Seoyeong also won the 200m IM in 4:41.76.