Hwang Sun-woo Sets New Korean Record in 200-m Freestyle in Tokyo

Teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo has broken Olympic champion Park Tae-hwan's 11-year-old national record in the men's 200-m freestyle.

Hwang clocked 1:44.62 in a preliminary heat of the event on Sunday at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo to reach the semifinals. The time is 0.18 second faster than Park's record of 1:44.80 set in his gold medal race at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Hwang has been establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the sport, setting one record after another. He set a new world junior record of 1:44.96 in the men's 200-m freestyle at a national team tryout in Jeju in May, shattering his own previous record of 1:45.92 set at another tryout in November last year.

Hwang recorded the fastest time among 39 swimmers in the five preliminary heats on Sunday, and was the only athlete to swim under 1:45.00.

The semifinals take place on Monday, and eight top finishers will advance to the final on Tuesday.