Hwang Seon-woo is a South Korean swimmer, and he is the next-generation sign runner following Park Tae-hwan, setting new Asian and Korean records in the men's 100m and 200m freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, respectively. He is currently one of the most popular swimmers in Korea. This is the present and future of Korean swimming.
Hwang Seon-woo said that his father and mother both swam, registered with their parents in nursery classes, and started swimming at the age of 7, and the year after Park Tae-hwan won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, from that time on, he said he thought of winning the gold medal at the Olympics as a joke.
Overseas fans were surprised when Hwang Seon-woo (18, Seoul Chego), the ‘treasure of Korean swimming’ set a new Asian record of 47.56 in the men’s 100m freestyle semifinal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the 28th and advanced to the final 4 overall.
Swimswam, a professional swimming media, reported on the same day, "Hwang Seon-woo continues to stand out in the Olympics by setting a new Asian record."
On the article, overseas swim fans commented, “Wow, I think Hwang Sun-woo will win a medal. Even if he doesn't win, he is a rising star in world swimming." "I expected to go to the finals, but I didn't know that he would make it to fourth place," he said, admiring Hwang's skills.
Hwang Seon-woo is truly ‘growth by storm’ on the world’s best Olympic stage. Every time he finishes a game, he sets new records. Although there are countless athletes who cannot show their skills under the pressure of the Olympic stage even after preparing for his best skills and condition, Hwang Seon-woo is fearlessly and relentlessly cutting the tide.
The 100m freestyle that Hwang Seon-woo competed in the morning of the 29th was practically an area that an Asian athlete could not dare to look at. He was the only battlefield for Western players who excelled in strength and speed. In order to sustain a powerful stroke from start to finish for more than 40 seconds, it is possible only if natural physical condition is supported. Among the 16 players who played in the semifinals that day, Hwang Seon-woo was the only Asian.
The last Asian athlete to take the podium in the men's 100m freestyle at the Olympics was Hiroshi Suzuki (Japan), who won a silver medal at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Hwang Seon-woo is the first Asian athlete to reach the 100m freestyle final after Japan's Atsushi Dani (7th place) at the 1956 Melbourne Games.
Above all, it is amazing that Hwang Sun-woo's evolution has not stopped yet. “I feel that I am gaining a lot of experience (at the Olympics),” he said.
The Asian record set by Hwang Seon-woo on this day was shortened by 0.09 seconds in about 7 years from 47.65 seconds set by Ning Zetao (China) at his home tournament in October 2014. In particular, in the preliminary match held in the afternoon of the previous day, he set a new Korean record of 47.97 seconds, ran up to the management 800m qualifier, and slept one night before breaking the Asian record. This is the reason why admiration for being a ‘monster’ beyond ‘swimming genius’ is inevitable.
Hwang Seon-woo showed a cool appearance, not too excited about his great achievements and records.
After the match, he said, “I didn’t expect such a record to come out. He is also a new Asian record, so it feels really good.” Then he laughed, saying, "It's really hard right now, but it seems that the superhuman power within me is coming out." It seemed even more thrilling to see his own idol, Caleb De Wrestle (USA), race in the side lane. Hwang Seon-woo rejoiced, saying, "It's really an honor to play with (Dressle)."
Hwang Seon-woo said calmly, "There is no such thing as a strategy (in the semifinals), I just said, 'Let's pull out all our energy'" and "I will take good care of my condition and prepare well for the final tomorrow morning."