[Gwangju 2019] Chief organizer says Gwangju Worlds have been a success

The top organizer of the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea said Sunday that the 17-day aquatics competition have been successful in terms of performances and financial efficiency."After two weeks of an outstanding aquatics show, the 2019 Gwangju World Championships have finished the 17th day of competition," Lee Yong-sup, head of the organizing committee, said in a press conference.He said FINA, the international swimming governing body, recognizes the Gwangju championships

July 28, 2019

[Gwangju Swimming] 2 Americans break world records in swimming

Two American swimmers broke world records at the world championships on Friday.First was Caeleb Dressel winning the men's 100m butterfly semis at the FINA World Championships in 49.50. Dressel topped Michael Phelps' 10-year-old record by 0.32. Minutes later, Regan Smith set a new world record in the women's 200m backstroke, winning the semifinals at 2:03.35. The previous record, set by Missy Franklin of the United States in 2012, was 2:04.06.Smith, 17, had set the junior world record in thi

July 26, 2019

[Gwangju Swimming] US pulls off three-peat in women's water polo

GWANGJU -- The United States captured its third straight world title in women's water polo on Friday, defeating Spain 11-6 to cap off an undefeated run to the top.The US became the first team in FINA World Championships history to win three consecutive women's water polo titles. Friday's game was a rematch of the 2017 final, when the Americans prevailed 13-6. The US never trailed in the match that was held on a day of heavy downpours.The US led 3-1 after the opening quarter. Spain pulled ev

July 26, 2019

[Gwangju Swimming] Water polo stars hope sport will grow after 1st world championships victory

Sometimes, all it takes is one moment to spark wider interest in a sport. And South Korean men's water polo players are hoping that theirs came Tuesday with their first world championships victory.South Korea defeated New Zealand 17-16 after four quarters of regulation and a penalty shootout at the FINA World Championships.It was South Korea's first victory at the biennial competition. "I hope our performance here will help grow water polo at the grassroots level," said captain Lee Seo

July 23, 2019

Kim Seo-yeong not dwelling on disappointing result

During her training for the women's 200m individual medley at the world championships, South Korean swimmer Kim Seo-yeong was so confident that she felt she could break her own national record.And that confidence never waned in the warmup at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju on Monday. And the 25-year-old carried that self-assurance into the pool in the final.Kim left the water wondering where it had gone. She finished sixth among eight finalists at the FINA World Championshi

July 23, 2019

Swimmers 'don't trust' Sun as doping row boils over

 GWANGJU, South Korea (AFP) - World championship swimmers slammed China's Sun Yang over lurid doping allegations and said competitors were firmly behind Australia's Mack Horton, who snubbed the Olympic star on the podium.    America's Matt Grevers claimed many competitors "don't trust" Sun, while world record-holder Lilly King revealed athletes "erupted in applause" after Horton refused to join his rival on the podium for photos after the 400 metres f

July 22, 2019

Malfunctioning equipment forces solo re-races in preliminary

Malfunctions with the starting equipment forced two swimmers to race alone in the heats of the men's 100m backstroke at the world championships on Monday.    Simone Sabbioni of Italy and Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago both had their initial races disrupted when the wedge, which allows backstroke swimmers to gain leverage off the wall, gave way.     Sabbioni had to race alone twice, as the wedge failed again in his second attempt. On his third race, Sabbion

July 22, 2019

Tears flow as water polo players head into uncertain future

After losing their last game of the world championships on Monday, South Korean women's water polo players shared teary hugs.No, they weren't consoling each other because they lost to Cuba 30-0 to finish in last place in the 16-team tournament at the FINA World Championships. They were sad that they now had to go their separate ways -- most of them back to school -- because, as it stands, the national women's team will cease to exist. There are no professional or semi-pro clubs that these buddin

July 22, 2019

Former world champion Park Tae-hwan offers encouraging words to Korean swimmers

If any South Korean athlete knows about competing under pressure, it's Park Tae-hwan, the only swimmer from the country to have won an Olympic gold medal and a world title.With the FINA World Championships underway in Gwangju, Park, an honorary ambassador for the competition, paid a visit to this southern metropolitan city to meet with fans and support national team athletes. Park arrived to spend a few hours here after all but one South Korean swimmer were eliminated in the heats on Day 1 of th

July 21, 2019

S. Korea hammered by Hungary in women's water polo debut

Host South Korea was destroyed by Hungary 64-0 in its FINA World Championships debut in women's water polo Sunday, taking a beating of historic proportions before stunned home fans.South Korea was thoroughly overmatched in every aspect of the game imaginable, as the merciless Hungary poured in 34 goals in the first half and 30 more in the latter half in Group B action at Nambu University Water Polo Competition Venue in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul.The result set the record for the larg

July 14, 2019

S. Korean diver Kim Su-ji wins historic bronze

South Korean diver Kim Su-ji captured a historic bronze in the women's 1m springboard at the FINA World Championships on Saturday, becoming the first South Korean diver to win a medal at the biennial competition.Kim's bronze at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, was also the host nation's first medal of this year's championships. She scored 257.20 points.Chen Yiwen of China ran away with the gold with 285.45 points, and Sarah Bacon of the United

July 13, 2019

[Exclusive] Open-water swimmers embrace new challenge, aim for Tokyo Olympics

Despite being brand new, South Korea’s fledgling open-water swim team hopes to popularize the sport here by turning in a strong performance at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju.As the FINA host nation, Korea competed in an international open-water swimming competition for the first time in its history Saturday morning, with a hastily assembled team taking to the waters off the country’s coastal city of Yeosu at the Yeosu Expo Ocean Park Open Water Swimming Competi

July 13, 2019

[Herald Interview] Diver Woo Ha-ram eyes 1st medal after strong performance in preliminaries

No diver in South Korean history has ever managed to notch a medal in an Olympic or world championship event, but hopes are high for 21-year-old Woo Ha-ram, who finished third in the preliminary men’s 1-meter springboard competition Friday.“I'm glad that I got a better result than I expected. I generally tried to play it safe and prevent mistakes, which is why I think I did well. This is the first time I finished third in a preliminary,” Woo said in a post-match interview, addi

July 13, 2019

S. Korean duo reaches final in synchronized diving

The South Korean diving tandem of Kim Yeong-nam and Woo Ha-ram advanced to the final in the men's synchronized 3m springboard at the FINA World Championships on Saturday.Kim and Woo scored a combined 376.47 points to rank fifth after six attempts at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, well inside the cutoff line of the top 12 for the final.Xie Siyi and Cao Yuan of China won the preliminary with 447.18 points. They won the silver medal in this eve

July 13, 2019

Bruised nose and all, S. Korean swimmer finishes open water race

In the early stages of the men's 5km open water swimming race at the FINA World Championships on Saturday, South Korean Baek Seung-ho took an errant elbow from another contestant to the nose.It stung him so much that Baek had trouble breathing. He briefly thought about pulling out but then Baek remembered who he was racing for."I didn't want to embarrass myself while representing my country," Baek said after finishing in 48th place at Yeosu EXPO Ocean Park in Yeosu, a city about 100 ki

July 13, 2019

Hungarian swimmer takes 1st gold medal of competition

Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary won the men’s 5km open water swimming title for the first gold medal of the 18th FINA World Championships on Saturday.Rasovszky claimed his first career world title in a time of 53:22.10 at Yeosu EXPO Ocean Park in Yeosu, a city about 100 kilometers to the south of the main host city Gwangju.Logan Fontaine of France got the silver in 53:33.20, and Eric Hedlin of Canada was the bronze medalist at 53:32.40. This was the first medal event of these championships, w

July 13, 2019

S. Korean women’s water polo team to debut

The fledgling South Korean women’s water polo team will make its FINA World Championships debut on Sunday against two-time champion Hungary.After earning its spot as the host nation, South Korea hastily gathered former swimmers in late May and molded them into neophyte water polo players. In the preliminary round, they will face three of the top five teams from the 2017 world championships, with Hungary (fifth) to be followed by Russia (third) and Canada (fourth).In diving, Woo Ha-ram will

July 13, 2019

Gwangju kicks off 17 days of swimming festivities at World Championships

Kwangju Women’s University Universiade Gymnasium opened three hours before the official opening ceremony began at 8:20 p.m., with the anticipation for the FINA World Championships riding high in the sunny skies above Gwangju. The 18th World Aquatics Championships, the first to be held in South Korea, officially commenced with an opening ceremony on Friday. The event will feature 2,639 swimmers from 194 countries competing across six disciplines and 76 events until July 28.South Korean Pres

July 12, 2019

FINA makes a splash in Gwangju, despite low turnout

GWANGJU -- The 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships kicked off Friday, bringing athletes and tourists to Gwangju from all over the world, but the venues were far from packed and a number of people expressed disappointment over the number of empty seats. Advance ticket sales were high enough to satisfy the organizers, despite initial concerns that swimming isn’t a popular spectator sport in South Korea.“As the ticket sales have already reached 85 percent, I can confidently predict w

July 12, 2019

S. Korean Woo Ha-ram advances to final in men's 1m springboard diving

South Korean diver Woo Ha-ram advanced to the final in the men's 1m springboard at the 2019 FINA World Championships on Friday, raising hopes for the host country's first medal in the event. Woo finished third among 44 divers with 396.10 points after six attempts in the preliminary at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center to qualify for the final, open to the top 12 divers in the preliminary.Fellow South Korean Kim Yeong-nam placed 13th with 349.10 points.The final will begin at 3:30 p.m. S

July 12, 2019