[Anchor]
The swimming events for this competition are taking place in Tokyo rather than Nagoya. The national swimming team, which won a record 22 medals at the Hangzhou Games three years ago, arrived in Tokyo today (September 17) and immediately jumped into training with a vow to recreate past glory.
Ha Seong-nyong reports from Tokyo.
[Reporter]
The swimming national team departed from the Jincheon National Training Center in the early morning and arrived at Incheon International Airport before sunrise.
[Hwang Sun-woo / National Swimming Team Member: (Did you sleep well?) I think I slept for about two hours and 50 minutes.]
Despite the lack of sleep, their faces were full of excitement.
[Kim Woo-min / National Swimming Team Member: Preparing for departure made it feel really real, and I think I'm eager to arrive quickly and start swimming.]
Arriving in Tokyo with bright expressions, the athletes wasted no time after unpacking at their accommodations. They headed straight to the venue, the Aquatics Centre, to slice through the water without a moment of rest.
The Aquatics Centre is the venue where the Tokyo Olympics were held five years ago. Having trained at the Jincheon training center pool, which features the same 3-meter depth as this facility, the athletes said they had a great feeling right from their first training session.
[Kim Woo-min / National Swimming Team Member: The swimming pool seems really nice. The feel of the water is good, it feels like you float well, and the catch feels solid.]
Having won a total of 22 medals—including a record 6 gold medals—at the Hangzhou Games three years ago, where Kim Woo-min claimed three titles and Hwang Sun-woo took two, South Korean swimming is aiming to recreate the miracle once again in Tokyo.
Kim Woo-min will compete in six events, including the 400m freestyle, attempting to become the first swimmer in South Korean history to win four gold medals at a single competition. Meanwhile, Hwang Sun-woo, who announced the birth of a star at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago, aims for a successful title defense in the 200m freestyle and multiple gold medals at a venue holding special memories for him.
[Hwang Sun-woo / National Swimming Team Member: I felt like this venue suits me really well. My records here haven't been bad. Expecting too much might lead to overexertion, so I want to keep myself grounded, stay calm, and maintain this good energy.]
The golden race of the South Korean national team toward a Tokyo miracle begins on September 20.
(Video footage by Park Hyun-chul and Kim Hak-mo | Video editing by Park Ki-duk | Design by Yang Ki-tae)
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