South Korean swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon Province) has a chance to become the first swimmer in history to win three consecutive Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards at the National Games.That’s because teammate Kim Woo-min (Gangwon Province), who was considered a contender, has withdrawn from the remaining events.”This is the end of the competition,” Kim said at a press conference after winning gold with Hwang Sun-woo, Yang Jae-hoon and Kim Min-joon in the men’s 400-meter medley relay at the 104th Jeonnam National Championships at the Mokpo Indoor Pool in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, on Sunday. “I have decided not to compete in the remaining event, the 400-meter medley relay.”As of Sunday, Hwang had secured three gold medals, with two events remaining: the 100-meter freestyle on Monday and the 400-meter medley relay on Tuesday.Kim Woo-min, who has secured four gold medals, was expected to compete in the 400-meter medley relay with Hwang on Tuesday.If Hwang Sun-woo won both of the remaining events and Kim Woo-min won one, the two would be tied for five gold medals and the MVP race would be tight.
“My teammate Song Im-gyu has a better backstroke record,” Kim said, “and I’m not competing in the 400-meter medley relay because the standard is that the swimmer who is in the best shape should compete in the medley relay.” The medley relay is a team event in which four swimmers compete in one of four strokes: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.Kim had to give up her spot in the event to a teammate, leaving the MVP award to Hwang Sun-woo.”The MVP is awarded to the athlete who shines the most,” Kim said, adding, “I’m rooting for Hwang Sun-woo.”After receiving Kim Woo-min’s support, Hwang Sun-woo expressed his intention to win the MVP.”I will definitely win two gold medals in the remaining two events to win five medals,” he said.
“I know that the MVP is voted on by the journalists,” he said, jokingly adding, “If I win the MVP (three times in a row), it will be the first time in history.”If Hwang Sun-woo, who won the MVP in 2021 and 2022, also wins the MVP at the Games, he will become the first athlete in history to win the MVP award for three consecutive years.It has been since the 61st Games in 1980 that the KFA has named the MVP of a national championship. In more than 40 years, no athlete has ever won MVP honors three years in a row.The competition is not overwhelming. Although the favorite in the men’s high school diving, Choi Kang-in (Yul Gok-go), has won five gold medals, there is little 바카라사이트 competition for MVP due to the wide gap between the general and high school levels of diving.There are no significant Korean record breakers either.