Following successful Asiad debut, swimmer Hwang Sun-woo turns eyes to bright future

South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo ended his first Asian Games on Thursday night the way he began the competition four days earlier: with a medal around his neck.

Hwang anchored South Korea to silver in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay in Hangzhou, with a new national record time of 3:12.96.

Hwang went a perfect 6-for-6 in medals, reaching the podium in every race he entered. The 20-year-old finished with two golds, two silvers and two bronzes.

He fell one medal shy of matching the record for most swimming medals by a South Korean at a single Asiad, held by the legend Park Tae-hwan. Park gobbled up seven medals each at the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games.

Record or not, Hwang said he was happy to have bagged his half-dozen medals.

“I honestly don’t know if I even deserve so many medals at my fist Asian Games,” Hwang said. “Winning individual race is one thing. To win relay medals with my teammates is really special”

Hwang opened his Asian Games with bronze in the men’s 100m freestyle Sunday. He then anchored South Korea to the historic gold in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay on Monday, the first gold in any relay swimming race by the country. The team set an Asian record with 7:01.73.

In the men’s 4x100m medley relay Tuesday, Hwang covered the freestyle leg for silver. The tireless one went back at it Wednesday evening for the 200m freestyle gold medal. About an hour later, he helped South Korea to bronze in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

The silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay Thursday provided a nice bookend to a wildly successful Asiad debut for Hwang, who already started looking ahead to future events.

In a jam-packed international swimming schedule, caused in no small part by COVID-induced disruptions, the next edition of the world championships will be in February next year — about seven months after the 2023 competition in Japan. It will be followed by the Paris Summer Olympics just five months later.

Soon after the Asian Games, Hwang will be competing at the National Sports Festival in October and the national team trials in November.

Hwang said he will be ready for anything.

“Everyone else will have to deal with the same schedule, and it’s up to the athletes to build up their bodies to withstand that grind,” Hwang said. “I want to build on the momentum from here and continue to put up great results in both individual and relay events.”