Swimmer Hwang Sunwoo under police investigation over a suspected hit-and-run incident - Reports
Korean swim prodigy Hwang Sunwoo is under police investigation over a suspect hit-and-run accident. The incident is set to have occurred in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, on Sunday (August 13) evening.
As reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap, Sunwoo is under police investigation over the incident, according to the local authorities.
The professional swimmer has been accused of fleeing the scene after striking an individual in his 80s with his vehicle's side view mirror. No serious injuries have been reported to the individual.
The police stated that Hwang Sunwoo was driving back to the National Training Center in the central county. He has been training for the upcoming Asian Games at the National Training Center.
Sunwoo returned to the scene 30 minutes later and reported to the police officers that he may have caused the accident. An officer with the Jincheon police force claimed that they are trying to find out further details about the case.
According to The Korea Times, an official with Korean Swimming Federation (KSF) stated that Hwang Sunwoo had already settled the case with the man and covered his medical expenses.
"Hwang told us he tried to avoid hitting a jaywalker and didn't realize at first he'd caused any accident. He said he returned to the scene after discovering that his side-view mirror had been damaged," the official stated.
As per Yonhap, athletes who have been convicted of a crime can be prevented from representing the country in international competitions based on the severity of the punishment. But the KSF official claimed that he doesn't expect Hwang Sunwoo to be ruled out of the 2023 Asian Games.
How was Hwang Sunwoo's performance in the recently concluded 2023 World Aquatics Championships?
Hwang Sunwoo won a lone medal at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. He claimed the bronze medal in the men's 200m freestyle event. Competing in the finals of the men's 200m freestyle event, the South Korean swimmer clocked 1:44.42 to finish in third place behind the British duo of Matthew Richards and Tom Dean.
He was one of the only three swimmers in the men's 200 freestyle final at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships to clock a time of under 27 in the final split alone. In the men's 100m freestyle semifinals, the South Korean swimmer finished in ninth place with a time of 48.08.
Sunwoo was also a part of the relay team which competed in the men's 4x100m medley relay and 4x200m freestyle relay events. His team finished in sixth place in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay and in tenth place in the men's 4x100m medley relay.
Hwang Sunwoo is one of South Korea's medal hopes in the upcoming 2023 Asian Games which begins on September 23.