Hwang Sun-woo claims silver medal in 200m freestyle

South Korean swimming star Hwang Sun-woo secured second place in a preliminary round 57 days before the Paris Olympics.

Hwang touched in 1 minute 45.68 seconds in the men's 200-meter freestyle final on Friday at the second leg of the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. David Popovici of Romania claimed first place at 1:44.74, setting a new record.

"I'm pleased with my 1:45, especially since I raced without tapering," Hwang said. "Popovici has already achieved times in the 1:44s, so the competition in Paris will be even more challenging. I'll make sure to prepare thoroughly for the upcoming meets." Hwang's best in the 200-meter freestyle is 1:44.00, faster than Popovici's time that day.

The Mare Nostrum Swimming Tour takes place annually in May and June in cities along the Mediterranean coast. The South Korean swim team, currently training in Europe, participated to gain competitive experience. Besides Hwang, Lee Joo-ho won silver in the men's 100-meter backstroke (54.03 seconds), and Kim Min-seop took silver in the men's 400-meter individual medley (4:15.62).


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com