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

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

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

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

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

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

The 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships kick off a 17-day run in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Friday, a biennial meet of the world’s swimming and diving stars. Taking place at five different venues in Gwangju and nearby Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, through July 28, this year’s event is the largest ever, with 2,639 athletes from 194 countries participating. Here are some of the interesting storylines to follow.  A prelude to 2020 Tokyo Olympics With a year to go until th

It is quite a spectacle to watch dozens of athletes jump into the ocean at once and swim to the horizon.   Open-water swimming, the long-distance sport that takes place in outdoor bodies of water, gained recognition as an official Olympic sport in 2008 and will also be one of the six disciplines at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships. In much-anticipated races, men and women will compete in separate courses of 5, 10 and 25 kilometers, as well as a 5-kilometer mixed team rel

Once a run-down housing complex, the athletes’ village in Gwangju’s western district of Gwangsan is now a vivacious mini globe, bustling with thousands of athletes, staff and media members during the FINA World Aquatics Championships. Rebuilt by Gwangju-based constructor Jungheung, the complex comprises 25 apartment buildings with 15 to 25 floors and a host of facilities for its diverse population to mingle and relax, spanning a land area of 94,131 square meters.  With a total o

The 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships bring together the world’s top talent in swimming, diving and other water sports for the 17-day sporting event. Over 2,600 athletes from 194 countries will compete for 76 gold medals in six disciplines -- swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming and water polo. Here are some of the international athletes to watch out for. Katie Ledecky (Swimming, US) At the 2012 London Olympics, then-15-year-old Ledecky won her fi

On the eve of the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships, which kick off in Gwangju on Friday, the host city is holding a cultural festival.According to the city government and the organizing committee for the international event, the festival will take place in the Geumnam-ro area, about 30 minutes from the Nambu University campus, the main venue of the competition. Street markets and activities to get the local residents and tourists involved and create a festive atmosphere got started at 4 p.

South Korean swimmers are shooting for the country’s 1st medal since 2011 in the upcoming 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships, to kick off Friday in Gwangju. On its home turf, the country is sending its largest-ever team to the championship with 82 athletes, 29 in swimming, eight in diving, 26 in water polo, 11 in artistic swimming and eight in open water swimming. One star who will not be joining the team is Park Tae-hwan, the first and only swimmer in the country’s history to ha

World-class swimmers have arrived, tickets are almost sold out, safety precautions have been taken, and venues have been prepared as Gwangju puts the finishing touches on hosting the FINA World Championships 2019, slated for kick off on Friday to be continued until July 28.The entries for this year’s event closed last week with 2,639 athletes from 194 countries throwing in their hats to compete under the slogan “Dive into Peace.” They will be vying for 76 gold medals across six

Just the sight of a makeshift diving platform standing 27 meters tall beside a round pool of water is enough to give viewers goose bumps. Imagine athletes performing a death-defying plunge, doing somersaults and twists before hitting the water feet first. No wonder high diving has drawn the most attention from spectators during the 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, selling out 6,500 tickets in total. The organizing committee will add more tickets for high diving, al

Seasoned politician highlights low budget, sustainability of sports event hosted at southwestern city