Between Hwang Sun-woo (20), the leading figure in Korean swimming, and Pan Zanler (19), the Chinese swimming sprint ace, there was a strong “respect” that transcended the border. It made the Hangzhou Asian Games more interesting through well-intentioned competition to respect and recognize each other.
Hwang Sun-woo set a new Korean record of 1:44:40 and a new Asian Games record in the men’s 200-meter freestyle final at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena in China on the evening of the 27th (Korea Standard Time).
Hwang Sun-woo won his second gold medal of the tournament after leading the first Asian Games team gold in Korean swimming history in the men’s 800m relay two days ago on the 25th. Lee Ho-joon (22), who competed in the 200m freestyle final with Hwang Sun-woo, also recorded a time of 1:45.56 to win the bronze medal.
In the final, Hwang ran with a time of 24.33 seconds from the first 50m turn. He was the first of the eight runners to compete in the final, beating Van Zanler, who recorded 24.57 seconds. Since then, he hasn’t missed the top spot until the end.
The race was completely decided in the 100-150m. Hwang Sun-woo broke through the section with a time of 26.92 seconds, while Pan Zanler slowed down with a time of 27.75. At 150m turn, Hwang Sun-woo’s record was 1:17:61, which was 1.68 seconds ahead of Pan Zanler’s 1:19:29. Pan Zanler also fell to fourth place, trailing Lee Ho-joon (1:18.51) and Mano (1:19:04).
Hwang Sun-woo maintained his pace in the last 150-200m section. Pan Zanler also rose to second place in the last minute, beating Mano and Lee Ho-joon in turn, but failed to close the gap with Hwang Sun-woo, and Hwang Sun-woo took the gold medal and Pan Zanler took the silver medal.
Pan Zanler set an Asian record of 46.97 seconds and won the gold medal in the 100m freestyle final on the 24th. On the other hand, instead of winning the event, which was one of the goals of this competition, Hwang Sun-woo was satisfied with the bronze medal and prepared for another event. 스포츠토토
In the 200m freestyle, the colors of the medals of Hwang Sun-woo and Pan Zanler changed. Hwang Sun-woo became the “Asia No. 1” in his main event, the 200m freestyle, while Pan Zanler’s plan to add another individual gold medal went awry.
After finishing the 200-meter freestyle final race, the two came out of the swimming pool and encouraged each other. Pan Zanler grabbed Hwang Sun-woo’s right hand and lifted it, inducing the “Freedom 200m Champion” to be applauded by Chinese fans.
Pan Zanler also praised Hwang Sun-woo by holding his right hand at the award ceremony. The regret that he did not win the 200-meter freestyle gold medal was not visible on his face. He was impressive as if he were one of the Korean national team players, congratulating Hwang Sun-woo for his victory.
Pan Zanler did not stop here, but was with Hwang Sun-woo and Lee Ho-joon when they were taking commemorative photos with the national team’s coaching staff. He also captured a moment that will be a memory for the rest of his life.
The media highlighted the rivalry between Hwang Sun-woo and Pan Zan-Rer, but the parties were sharing deep friendships while holding many international competitions together. It was difficult to exchange deep conversations because of the different languages, but there seemed to be something that was clearly connected among swimmers.
After finishing Group 4 of the 200m freestyle preliminary round held earlier in the day, Pan Zanler met Hwang Sun-woo, who had preliminary rounds in Group 3 before him, in the mixed zone and greeted him warmly. Looking at Hwang Sun-woo being interviewed by Korean reporters, he shook hands lightly and offered words of blessing, “Cheer up.”
Whenever Hwang Sun-woo was asked about Pan Zanler, he also said, “My rivalry with me is highlighted, but this friend is a very good brother. He is also one of the fastest players in Asia,” he acknowledged.
After finishing the race on the 27th, he said at an official press conference, “I raced with Panzanler in the 200m freestyle final, and I was grateful that Panzanler congratulated me and put my hands up,” adding, “It was meaningful to compete with an amazing player called Panzanler.”
Meanwhile, South Korea is successfully competing in the swimming event at the Hangzhou Asian Games, harvesting 13 medals, including three gold medals, until the 27th. As Kim Woo-min, the men’s mid- and long-distance star, is set to compete in the 400m and 800m freestyle from the 28th, it is expected that he will be able to achieve his goal of winning at least four gold medals.