(Asiad) Frustrated swimmer vows to improve for '28 Olympics after missing out on gold

TOKYO, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- Not all Asian Games silver medals are created equal. Depending on the context, some athletes would be thrilled to take the second-place prize, while others would feel frustrated they failed to do one better.

South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo fell into the latter category Wednesday in Tokyo, where he took silver medal in his title defense in the men's 200-meter freestyle race.

He finished with the time of 1:44.62 and saw his 11-month-old Asian record of 1:43.92 broken by the gold medalist, Zhang Zhanshuo of China, who clocked 1:43.49.

Hwang led at the 150m turn at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, but Zhang passed him over the home stretch.

Hwang came home in 27.28 seconds, but Zhang covered the final 50m in 25.96.

"My strokes all got out of whack over the final 50m," Hwang said, wearing a frustrated look. "I saw that Zhang Zhanshuo was kicking into a new gear over the last 25m, and I got really angry at myself when I couldn't catch him. As soon as the race ended, I thought I had to train even harder to make sure my body doesn't break down late."

Hwang led the pack at the 100m turn in 50.25 seconds, 0.53 faster than Zhang, but Hwang said he was not satisfied with the first half of the race, either.

"It was not a great performance. It was basically just average," he said. "I really want to get into the low 1:43 range. I cannot be content with this outcome. I will now turn my focus to the Los Angeles Olympics in about two years' time. At the Asian Games here, I have realized I need to improve my pace over the final stretch, and I am ready to put in the work 365 days a year."

Much has been made about Hwang's return to Tokyo Aquatics Centre for the Asian Games. It is at this very venue where Hwang enjoyed his first international breakthrough at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Though he did not win a medal as a teenager then, he still set a world junior record in the 200m freestyle in the heats with 1:44.62 -- the identical time he had Wednesday.

"I was a little upset because I feel like I have not improved at all over the past five years," quipped Hwang, the 2024 world champion in the 200m freestyle. "But then again, I think I am doing a better job these days taking care of my body. I no longer feel aches between races, and my conditioning overall is a lot better."