A maritime police officer who won three titles at the Asia Pacific Masters is the talk of the town.
Sgt. Jeon Jeon-hwan, 42, of the Sokcho Coast Guard, won the 50-meter freestyle (25.68 seconds), 200-meter (2:15.18), and 스포츠토토 200-meter individual medley (2:31.49) at the 2023 Jeonbuk Asia Pacific Masters held in Jeonbuk on March 12. He even set new Korean records in all three events.
“I never expected to set a Korean record,” said Sgt. Jeon, “but the Gangwon Swimming Federation gave me a lot of support so I was able to train well.” An elite athlete from his junior year of middle school to his senior year of college, he qualified for the Masters in 2008, but was unable to swim for more than a decade due to his livelihood.
The former sergeant took up swimming again in 2019 for health reasons and won the top spot in the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly at the World Police and Fire Games in Qingdao, China, that same year, and has been competing in Masters ever since. His training is now so intense that he swims two kilometers after work.
The former sergeant, who is unrivaled in Korea, including winning two titles at the 2023 National Living Sports Festival, has even bigger dreams. He wants to finish in the top six at the World Championships Masters in Fukuoka, Japan, this August. He will compete in the freestyle, backstroke, and 50-meter butterfly at the World Championships. “Gangwon Province is a barren area for sports, but I want to do well at the World Championships and spread awareness of Gangwon Province’s status,” he said.