In light of a recent accident away from the pool, swimmer Hwang Sun-woo kept a low profile Thursday while the rest of the South Korean athletic delegation marked a 30-day countdown to the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Hwang, a two-time world championships medalist in the men's 200-meter freestyle, is expected to contend for multiple medals in Hangzhou. He is one of the most high-profile athletes set to compete for South Korea in China starting next month.
However, Hwang was conspicuous by his absence at the joint press conference featuring nearly a dozen athletes at the Jincheon National Training Center in the central county of Jincheon. Hwang's teammate, Kim Woo-min, represented swimming on the podium. Kim was later made available for a separate media scrum before an open training session. Hwang, though, did not speak to the media before or after his training.
Hwang has been under police questioning since striking a pedestrian with his car's side-view mirror on a drive back to the training center on Aug. 13. Hwang left the scene but returned about half an hour later after discovering that his side-view mirror had been damaged. Hwang has been fully cooperating with police, according to the Korea Swimming Federation.
The federation has also said Hwang has settled with the pedestrian, a man in his 80s, and has covered his medical expenses.
The federation has noted that Hwang has not violated any rule guiding national team athletes and won't lose his Asian Games eligibility over the accident.
Dozens of media people wanting to hear from Hwang, though, were out of luck Thursday, as the 20-year-old swimmer kept to himself in the pool.
Hwang is expected to battle a Chinese teen sensation, Pan Zhanle, in the 100m and 200m freestyle. The 200m is Hwang's main event, and Pan has excelled in the 100m.
Hwang will also look to lead the men's 4x200m freestyle team to the top of the podium.
Hwang won silver at the 2022 world championships in the 200m and then grabbed bronze at this year's worlds last month. He is the first South Korean swimmer to win a medal at back-to-back world championships.
Source: Yonhap News Agency