South Korea's Hwang sets new Asian record in men's 200m freestyle

SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Two-time Olympian Hwang Sun-woo set a new Asian record in the men's 200-meter freestyle at its national sports festival in Busan.

Hwang finished with a time of one minute 43.92 seconds on Monday, surpassing the previous record of 1:44.39 set by China's Olympic champion Sun Yang at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest.

The 22-year-old had previously recorded a personal best and a South Korean national record of 1:44.40 when he claimed victory at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

This new record places Hwang as the seventh-fastest swimmer of all-time and ranks him number one in the world for the long-course 200m freestyle event this season.

Hwang also boasts a complete set of medals from recent World Championships - a silver in Budapest in 2022, a bronze in Fukuoka in 2023, and a gold in Doha in 2024.

"This is one of the happiest moments of my life. Throughout my swimming career, I have strived to break the 1:44 barrier in the 200-meter freestyle. I finally achieved it," Hwang told the Korea Herald. ■