Incheon’s Park Tae-hwan
Checks his time on the electronic board after finishing first in the 400m freestyle final of the men’s general swimming event at the 100th National Games at Gimcheon Indoor Pool in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on Oct. 8.
South Korean swimming hero Park Tae-hwan has shared a heartfelt message of support for his junior Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province), who has been dazzling at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Park, who is serving as a commentator for SBS at the Hangzhou Asian Games, gave his best wishes to Hwang, who is competing in the final of his main event, the 200-meter freestyle, during a broadcast on Sunday.
“If you keep the pressure and nervousness about your targeted performance and
record only in practice, and manage your mind well so that the things you’ve
been working hard on come out naturally in the actual competition, you’ll get good results,” Park said.
Park has been a fixture in South Korean swimming, winning three gold medals at
the 2006 Doha Asian Games and 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games for the Republic of Korea.
Hwang
Along with Kim Woo-min, Lee Ho-joon, and Ji Yoo-chan, who competed at the
Hangzhou Asian Games, are part of the so-called “golden generation” of Korean swimmers born in the 2000s after Park Tae-hwan.
By the 26th, the Korean swimming team has won two gold, two silver, and five
bronze medals, raising hopes that they will surpass Park’s best Asian Games result
(4 gold, 3 silver, and 6 bronze) in Guangzhou in 2010.
South Korea’s Hwang Sun-woo (L-R), Kim Woo-min, Lee Ho-joon and Yang Jae-
hoon pose on the podium with their gold medals after finishing first in the men’s
800m freestyle relay final at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center swimming pool in Hangzhou, China, Friday afternoon.
“When I was preparing for the Asian Games, I was lonely because I was alone,” Park said, “and now I’m envious of how many athletes are together, and I admire them even though they are juniors.”
In particular, he recalled the moment he and Hwang Sun-woo won gold in the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay at the Games, saying, “I’m more excited. I want to say thank you to the athletes.” 스포츠토토맨