Korean freestyler Hwang Sunwoo may be the top swimmer in the world right now in the men’s 200m free. But, the 20-year-old is entering next month’s World Championships with a realistic perspective on how competitive his pet event is at this point in time.
Speaking at a national team press conference today at the Jincheon National Training Center, Hwang said, “Even though I rank No. 1 in the world this season, I won’t be complacent.
“I will have to bear down and focus on my race.”
At the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Hwang snagged the 200m free silver in a time of 1:44.47, a new national record. In virtually any other year that would have grabbed the gold; however, Romanian young gun David Popovici ripped an other-worldly 1:43.1 World Junior Record to top the podium.
Flash forward to today and Hwang has already produced a time of 1:44.61 just earlier this month at the Gwangju National Swimming Championships. That’s enough to wear the world rankings crown ahead of another Asian dynamo in 18-year-old Pan Zhanle of China.
Pan fired off a lifetime best of 1:44.65 at May’s Chinese Nationals, while the aforementioned Popovici is currently ranked 6th in the world with his season-quickest of 1:45.49 from the just-concluded Sette Colli Trophy.
Throw in British Olympic champion Tom Dean, his Tokyo teammate Matt Richards, as well as Japanese World Championships medalist Katsuhiro Matsumoto and the podium is anything but a sure thing for Fukuoka.
The United States’ World Trials just began this week so we may yet see more sub-1:45 second efforts by the time the World Championships roll around.
Knowing the men’s 200m free is one of the most heated contests on the planet, Hwang said, “I have a feeling 1:44s may not be enough for a podium finish.
“I think you will have to be in the low 1:43s for the gold. Everyone has improved so much since the last world championships and so many swimmers are in the low 1:44s.”
Specifically regarding Pan of China, Hwang said, “I remember first seeing him at the 2021 world championships and thinking he was a pretty good freestyler.
“And then he’d made a huge stride for last year’s worlds and posted great times in Chinese trials this year. Of course, I am keeping an eye on him. I am looking forward to some friendly competition against someone around my age.”
Pan will also represent stiff competition for Hwang in the men’s 100m free, an event in which Hwang currently ranks 9th in the world with his season-best of 47.78. Pan is the top performer thus far this year, holding a time of 47.22, the new Asian Record he produced in April.
Should Hwang land on the podium in either the 100m or 200m freestyle races, he would become the first South Korean swimmer to medal in two consecutive World Championships. National record holder and Olympic medalist Park Tae Hwan earned two 400m freestyle World Championships gold medals, he did so in 2007 but not again until the 2011 edition.
Hwang is wishing Popovici will stagnate from last year lol
144 flat gets podium at Paris
It’s a very open category, Popovici hasn’t been as great as he was last year but it will be Hwang’s time to shine
Popovici’s season bests are faster than they were before worlds last year.
I think to get bronze a 1:44.3 will suffice and the cut off for the final will be around a 1:45.4, definitely faster than last year which was a 1:46.06
Cut off for final was in fact not 1:45.4 😅
I don’t see anyone besides Popovici under 1:44
Exactly.
Calm down hoss Popovici is the only one that’s been underv1:44
“I have a feeling 1:44s may not be enough for a podium finish.” As in swimming 1:44 will not guarantee a medal, doesn’t mean you need to swim 1:43 to be on the podium.
Exactly. Thank you!