Korean swimmers were at the center of attention in the Guangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday. Jeong Da-rae, 19, became the first Korean female swimmer to win an Asiad gold medal in 12 years, while Park Tae-hwan, 21, won the men's 100-m freestyle to grab his third gold of the Games. It is the first time that Korea has won gold in both men's and women's swimming at the same Asiad.
Jeong clocked 2:25.02 in the 200-m breaststroke final on Wednesday, becoming the third Korean woman ever to win a gold medal in the Asian Games after Choi Yun-hui, who won three in New Dehli in 1982 and two in Seoul in 1986, and Cho Hee-yeon, who won the 200-m butterfly in Bangkok in 1998.
Jeong was picked for the national team in 2007, and has established herself as the country's top female breaststroker. She advanced to the semifinals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Championships in Rome, and has become a celebrity at home for her pretty looks as well.
Park set a new Korean record of 48.70 in the 100-m freestyle, making him the only swimmer to have won three golds in two consecutive Asiads. He took home seven medals from the 2006 Doha Asian Games, including one silver and three bronze, and now has a total of 12 Asiad medals. He has two more events remaining -- the 1500-m freestyle and 400-m medley relay on Thursday, the last day of swimming competition.
