Swimming Team Aims to Replicate Hangzhou Glory: "Beyond Most Medals to Write New History"

[Anchor]

The national swimming team held a media day to share their resolve ahead of the Asian Games. Led by their "golden generation," including Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min, the team vowed to surpass their performance at the Hangzhou Games and achieve their best-ever results.

Reporter Ha Seong-ryong has the story.

[Reporter]

Key athletes such as Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min wave to the cameras before powerfully diving into the water.

Currently undergoing rigorous training consisting of 10 kilometers a day and five hours in the pool, the athletes expressed their ambition to write a new chapter of history by surpassing the 2023 Hangzhou Games, where they claimed a record 22 medals, including six golds.

[Lee Ju-ho / Captain, National Swimming Team: Building on the athletes who won gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, new swimmers are now targeting gold as well, and I believe that surpassing the record for most medals is not an impossible goal.]

The swimming events will take place in Tokyo rather than Nagoya. Hwang Sun-woo, who announced the birth of a star at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago, vowed to put on a passionate performance just as he did back then, aiming for back-to-back victories in the men's 200-meter freestyle at the Asian Games.

[Hwang Sun-woo / National Swimming Team Member: I have a strong desire to show everything I am capable of, just like I did during the Tokyo Olympics. I think that a time in the 1-minute, 43-second range in the 200-meter freestyle will likely put me on the highest step of the podium, so my goal is to break my personal best.]

Kim Woo-min, a triple gold medalist in Hangzhou, plans to compete in at least six events, including his signature 400-meter freestyle and the 800-meter free relay, targeting South Korea's first-ever four-gold-medal sweep at the games.

[Kim Woo-min / National Swimming Team Member: Since I am competing in many events, I have a bit of confidence that I can win more medals, so I am really looking forward to the Asian Games.]

Twenty-year-old rising star Kim Young-beom also threw down the gauntlet against China's Pan Zhanle, the world record holder in the 100-meter event.

[Kim Young-beom / National Swimming Team Member: I believe he is not an unbeatable athlete, and my goal is definitely to win the gold medal.]

After wrapping up their final training sessions, the national swimming team will depart for Tokyo on the 17th of next month.

(Video reporting: Kim Se-kyung, Video editing: Ha Seong-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.