S. Korean Hwang Sun-woo wins silver at world swimming championships

▲ In this AFP photo, Hwang Sun-woo of South Korea competes in the men's 200m freestyle final at the FINA World Championships at Duna Arena in Budapest on June 20, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ This photo provided by All That Sports on June 20, 2022, shows South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo, competing at the FINA World Championships in Budapest. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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S. Korean Hwang Sun-woo wins silver at world swimming championships

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, June 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean teen swimmer Hwang Sun-woo has captured the silver medal in the men's 200m freestyle at the world championships, becoming only the second swimmer from the country to reach a podium at the biennial event.

Hwang finished his race in 1:44.47 at the FINA World Championships in Budapest on Monday (local time) for his first career long course world championships medal. It was a new South Korean record and Hwang's new personal best.

He finished 1.26 seconds behind the champion, David Popovici of Romania (1:43.21). Tom Dean of Britain won the bronze medal in 1:44.98.

Hwang, 19, is the second South Korean swimmer to grab a world championships medal, joining Park Tae-hwan, who grabbed the 400m freestyle titles in 2007 and 2011, and the 200m freestyle bronze medal in 2007.

Hwang arrived in Budapest owning the eighth-fastest time in the 200m freestyle this year with 1:45.79.

He matched that time in the heats to rank second overall. Then Hwang touched the pad in 1:45.46 in the semifinals and advanced to the final with the third-best time.

In the final, Hwang joined some exclusive company as just the fourth Asian swimmer to stand on the 200m freestyle podium at the worlds: Park; Sun Yang of China, the 2017 and 2019 champion and 2015 silver medalist; and Katsuhiro Matsumoto of Japan, the 2019 silver medalist.

In December last year, Hwang won the short course world title in the 200m freestyle race held in a 25m pool.

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