2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
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Just hours removed from a gutsy performance in the men’s 200 freestyle final, South Korean standout Hwang Sunwoo showed no signs of fatigue in the prelims of the 100 free, blasting his way to a new National Record.
Hwang leaned on his back-end speed to put up a time of 47.97 from Heat 7, taking down his previous South Korean Record of 48.04, set at the country’s Olympic Trials meet in May.
The 18-year-old turned fifth in his heat in 23.23, but closed in a scorching 24.74, the fourth-fastest back-half in the field, to take second in the heat, just behind Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov (47.89).
Split Comparison
Hwang, Olympic Trials | Hwang, Olympic Games |
23.17 | 23.23 |
24.87 | 24.74 |
48.04 | 47.97 |
Hwang is now just over three tenths shy of the Asian Record in the event, which was set by China’s Ning Zetao at the 2015 World Championships in 47.65.
Hwang ultimately qualifies sixth into the semi-finals, with Italian Thomas Ceccon the surprise top qualifier in a time of 47.71.
In the 200 free, Hwang broke the World Junior Record in the prelims in a time of 1:44.62, also breaking Park Tae Hwan‘s Korean Record, and he led the majority of the final on Tuesday morning, ultimately finishing seventh in 1:45.26.
This is the crazy lad who took out his 200 in a 49.7 I was more or less expecting this. What a stud.
Slightly off-topic: what is Park Taehwan’s deal? Has he officially retired?