Hwang Sun-woo

Hwang Sun-woo
Personal information
NationalitySouth Korean
Born (2003-05-21) 21 May 2003
Suwon, South Korea
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight76 kg (168 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  South Korea
World Championships (LC)
2024 Doha 200 m freestyle
2022 Budapest 200 m freestyle
2024 Doha 4×200 m freestyle
2023 Fukuoka 200 m freestyle
World Championships (SC)
2021 Abu Dhabi 200 m freestyle
2022 Melbourne 200 m freestyle
Asian Games
2022 Hangzhou 200 m freestyle
2022 Hangzhou 4 x 200 m freestyle
2022 Hangzhou 4 × 100 m medley relay
2022 Hangzhou 4 × 100 m freestyle relay
2022 Hangzhou 4×100 m mixed medley
2022 Hangzhou 100 m freestyle
Korean name
Hangul
황선우
RRHwang Seonu
MRHwang Sŏnu

Hwang Sun-woo (Korean황선우; born 21 May 2003) is a South Korean swimmer.[2] He is the 2024 World Champion in the men's 200m freestyle and won 6 medals in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.[3]

Career

2021

In April 2021, Hwang competed at the Korean trials. He set a new South Korean record in the 100 m freestyle with a time of 48.04.[4] He then broke the world junior record in the 200 m freestyle with a time of 1:44.96.[5]

In July 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, Hwang was the flagbearer for South Korea together with volleyballer Kim Yeon-koung.[6] In the 200 m freestyle, Hwang went 1:44.62 in the heats and qualified fastest for the semifinals. His time lowered his own world junior record, and broke Park Tae-hwan's national record of 1:44.80 from 2010.[7] In the final, Hwang finished seventh in a time of 1:45.26.[8] In the 100 m freestyle, he went 47.56 in the semifinals, breaking the Asian record of 47.65 set by China's Ning Zetao in 2014.[9] Hwang later placed fifth in the final with a time of 47.82.[10]

At the 2021 World Championships (25 m) in Abu Dhabi, Hwang won the 200 m freestyle in 1:41.60.[11]

2022

At the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Hwang won the silver medal in the 200 m freestyle in a national record time of 1:44.47.[12] In the 100 m freestyle, he came eleventh with a time of 48.08.[13]

At the 2022 World Championships (25 m) in Melbourne, Hwang swam in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. He split 1:40.99 on the first leg, breaking Park's Asian record of 1:41.03 from 2016. The relay finished fourth in a time of 6:49.67.[14][15] In the 200 m freestyle, he won the gold medal in a time of 1:39.72, lowering the Asian record again, and breaking the championship record of 1:40.95 set by Lithuanian Danas Rapšys in 2018.[16]

2023

In July 2023, Hwang competed at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka. He won the bronze medal in the 200 m freestyle, lowering his national record to 1:44.42.[17] He then finished ninth in the 100 m freestyle in a time of 48.08.[18]

In September 2023, Hwang competed at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. He won the bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle in a time of 48.04.[19] The following day, he swam in the men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. South Korea won the gold medal in a time of 7:01.73, breaking the Asian record of 7:02.26 set by Japan in 2009.[20] On day three, he swam in the men's 4 × 100 m medley relay, winning the silver medal in a national record time of 3:32.05.[21] Hwang then won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle in a time of 1:44.40, breaking the South Korean and games records in the event.[22] Later in the session, he swam in the mixed 4 × 100 m medley relay, winning the bronze medal in 3:46.78 to set another national record.[23] The following day, he concluded the competition with the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, where South Korea won the silver medal in a national record time of 3:12.96.[24]

2024

In February 2024, at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Hwang won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle in a time of 1:44.75.[25] He then swam the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. The race was led by China and the US, but Hwang put South Korea in gold medal contention on the anchor leg. He split 1:43.76 and overtook the US, but finished 0.10 seconds behind China; South Korea won the silver medal in 7:01.94.[26][27]

In July 2024, Hwang competed at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He finished ninth in the 200 m freestyle and missed the final; his time of 1:45.92 was 0.04 seconds slower than the eighth qualifier.[28] He swam in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, splitting 1:45.99 on the anchor leg to contribute to a seventh place finish; South Korea's overall time was 7:07.26.[29]

2025

At the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, Hwang came fourth in the 200 m freestyle in a time of 1:44.72.[30] He finished thirteenth in the 100 m freestyle in a time of 47.94.[31]

In October 2025, at the National Sports Festival in Busan, Hwang went 1:43.92 in the 200 m freestyle, breaking the Asian record of 1:44.39 set by China's Sun Yang in 2017.[32]

Personal best times

Long course (50 metre pool)
Event Time Meet Date Note (s)
50 m freestyle 22.39 Korean National Trials 16 May 2021
100 m freestyle 47.56 Olympic Games 28 July 2021 [a]
200 m freestyle 1:43.92 Korean National Sports Festival 20 September 2025 AS
Short course (25 metre pool)
Event Time Meet Date Note (s)
50m freestyle 21.72 World Championships 19 December 2021 [b]
100m freestyle 46.34 World Championships 21 December 2021 NR
200m freestyle 1:39.72 World Championships 18 December 2022 AS
100m individual medley 52.13 World Championships 18 December 2021 [b]
Legend: ASAsian record; NRSouth Korean record;

a Former Asian record
b Former South Korean record

Honours

  • 19th Korea Image Awards (2023) – Korea Image Budding Youth Award[33]

References

  1. ^ Kim Bae-jung (30 October 2020). "Hwang Sun-woo wins five titles in Gimcheon national competition". The Dong-a Ilbo. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Republic of Korea teenage sensation Hwang Sun-woo storms into record books". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 25 November 2020. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  3. ^ "The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou". www.hangzhou2022.cn. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  4. ^ Retta Race (15 May 2021). "Korea's 18-Yr-Old Hwang Sunwoo Clocks 48.04 100 Free Record". SwimSwam. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  5. ^ Retta Race (16 May 2021). "18-Yr-Old Hwang Sunwoo Blasts 1:44.96 200 Free World Junior Record". SwimSwam. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  6. ^ Yoo Jee-ho (7 July 2021). "Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung, teen swimmer Hwang Sun-woo named S. Korean flag-bearers at Tokyo Olympics". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  7. ^ "[Tokyo Olympics] Teen swimmer breaks nat'l record to win 200m freestyle heats". The Korea Times. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  8. ^ "2020 Olympic Games - Men's 200m Freestyle Final Results" (PDF). olympics.com. 27 July 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  9. ^ "[Tokyo Olympics] Teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo breaks Asian record in 100m freestyle". The Korea Herald. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  10. ^ "2020 Olympic Games - Men's 100m Freestyle Final Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  11. ^ Yun So-hyang (19 December 2021). "Hwang Sun-woo takes gold in FINA swimming championships". JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  12. ^ Retta Race (20 June 2022). "Hwang Sunwoo Lowers Korean National Record En Route To 200 Free Silver". SwimSwam. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  13. ^ "Semifinals results" (PDF). omegatiming.com. 21 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Men's 4x200m Freestyle – Final – Results" (PDF). Omega Timing. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  15. ^ Riley Overend (18 December 2022). "After Breaking Finger in Prelims, Hwang Sunwoo Overcomes Pain to Defend 200 FR Title". SwimSwam. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  16. ^ Yanyan Li (18 December 2022). "Hwang Sunwoo Scares Biedermann's World Record With 1:39.72 SCM 200 Free". SwimSwam. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  17. ^ Yoo Jee-ho (25 July 2023). "(2nd LD) Hwang Sun-woo wins bronze in 200m freestyle at swimming worlds". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  18. ^ "Semifinals results" (PDF). omegatiming.com. 26 July 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2023.
  19. ^ Paik Ji-hwan (24 September 2023). "Korea takes two bronze medals in the pool as Asiad aquatic events begin". JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  20. ^ Retta Race (25 September 2023). "Mission Accomplished: South Korea Grabs Asian Games Gold In Men's 800 Free Relay". SwimSwam. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  21. ^ Yoo Jee-ho (27 September 2023). "(Asiad) Hangzhou silver just the beginning for medley relay swimming team". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  22. ^ Retta Race (27 September 2023). "Hwang Sunwoo Beats Pan Zhanle For 200 Free Asian Games Gold – 1:44.40". SwimSwam. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  23. ^ Yoo Jee-ho (27 September 2023). "(Asiad) Gold-bronze finish highlights another big day in pool". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  24. ^ "Following successful Asiad debut, swimmer Hwang Sun-woo turns eyes to bright future". The Korea Times. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  25. ^ "Final results" (PDF). omegatiming.com. 13 February 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  26. ^ Andrew Binner (17 February 2024). "Swimming, World Championships Doha 2024: People's Republic of China hold on to claim men's 4x200m freestyle relay title". Olympics. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  27. ^ "Final results" (PDF). omegatiming.com. 16 February 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  28. ^ "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  29. ^ "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  30. ^ "2025 World Aquatics Championships - Men's 200m Freestyle Final Results" (PDF). Omega Timing. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  31. ^ "2025 World Aquatics Championships - Men's 100m Freestyle Semifinals Results" (PDF). Omega Timing. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  32. ^ Matthew De George (20 October 2025). "Hwang Sun-Woo Sets Asian Record in 200 Free, Downs Sun Yang Mark". Swimming World. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  33. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (12 December 2022). "Lee Jung-jae of 'Squid Game' fame to receive Korea Image Stepping Stone Award". Korea JoongAng Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 12 December 2022 – via Naver.