South Korean swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon-do Province) praised himself for “pulling out all the stops” after overcoming his worst physical condition to win his second gold medal at the National Games.
“I lost about four to five kilograms of weight after a bad incident,” Hwang said after winning the 200-meter freestyle final in the men’s general category at the 104th National Championships at the Mokpo Indoor Pool in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, on Saturday. “I struggled to manage my physical condition, but I raced without regrets in my main event and I think I got a not-so-bad time,” he said.
Hwang suffered from a severe case of food poisoning after eating the wrong food with his teammates, including Kim Woo-min, just before the start of the competition.
He suffered from a high fever, upset stomach, and body aches, making it difficult for him to train and go about his daily life.
He couldn’t eat and lost weight.
“After the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, I regained some weight, but I lost 4-5 kilograms again,” Hwang said. “I was very worried and I was not in good shape, but I did my best,” he emphasized.
“My ideal weight for the game is 75 to 77 kilograms, and now I’m down to the low 72s,” he added.
He was chased by Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medalist Lee Ho-joon (Daegu Metropolitan City Government – 1:45.96-2nd), who faded in the final stages of the race.
“At the end of the race, I was scared because he was chasing me,” Hwang said with a laugh, adding, “I thought that if I made a mistake, he would catch up to me, but I think we both had good times.”
Despite not feeling well, he emphasized that he will give it his all for the rest of the competition.
“It’s been a while since the Asian Games, and I’ve had some bad luck,” he said, “but I want to focus on everything I can and stand on the top of the podium in every event I compete in.”
Even under the worst of circumstances, Hwang has been cruising to a multi-medal performance. He won his second gold medal in the men’s general category 800-meter freestyle relay on Friday.
He will compete in the 400-meter medley relay on Sunday, the 100-meter freestyle on Monday and the 400-meter mixed medley relay on Tuesday in an exhibition event.
Hwang has set his sights on winning five medals and becoming the first swimmer in history to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for three consecutive national championships.
He won five medals in 2021 and four in 2022, making it back-to-back MVPs. There has never been an MVP for three consecutive years in the history of the National Games. 토토사이트
