Park aims for sharper edge ahead of world swimming championship

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- Park Tae-hwan, South Korea's 19-year-old
swimming gold medalist, said Tuesday he aims to overcome his weakness in long
distance events in preparing for the upcoming world championships.

"I've faced many setbacks in 1,500-meter competitions ... but I am hopeful about
performing well in this year's world championships thanks much to the help of
coach Salo," Park said, referring to his trainer Dave Salo of the University of
Southern California, while training in Los Angeles.
The World Swimming Championships are scheduled to be held in Rome in July.
Park, who won the gold in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the Beijing Games last
year, was in the U.S. for training, focusing on developing endurance to compete
better in longer events. He had failed to reach the finals in the 1,500-meter
competition at both the Beijing Olympics and the 2007 world championships.
The six-week training course include two hours of swimming in the mornings and
the afternoons, weight training during nights and English lessons in between.
"I expect improved results since I'm enjoying the training and realizing that I'm
quite suited for long-distance training," said Park, who was training with some
10 other athletes, including Tunisian gold medalist Oussama Mellouli.
He also thanked Salo for providing on-the-spot comments on his overall
performance, assessing his coaching methods as being "on the mark" for
long-distance trainings.
"I'm grateful for coach Salo ... he seems to accept me as a good athlete," said
Park, who will also focus on increasing turn speed for improved performance.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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