Olympic Swimming

[Anchor Lead]

Returning from training in Australia, Korean Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan vowed to regain his honor at the Rio Olympic Games. Although he doesn't have much time left to prepare for his races, he said he will do his best to return the support he received from the Korean people.

[Pkg]

Park Tae-hwan's expression was inscrutable, perhaps because of the emotional anguish he experienced over his place in the Olympic team. Although time is short, he said he is glad to compete in the Olympic Games for the fourth time in a row and thanked his fans.

[Soundbite] Park Tae-hwan(Korean National Swimming Team) : "I'm truly thankful. I've disappointed a lot of people but doing my best is the only way I can repay my fans' support."

Difficult challenges await Park, who plans to compete in four events.His personal best this season is far from good enough to win a medal. Park recorded 3 minutes 44.26 seconds in his main event, the 400-meter freestyle, putting him about 2.6 seconds behind the world No.1 Mack Horton. Due to disruptions in training, he performed poorly even in real competition earlier this month. His outlook for a medal is made even dimmer by the strength of his competitors, such as China's Sun Yang and Japan's Kosuke Hagino.

[Soundbite] Park Tae-hwan(Korean National Swimming Team) : "I am less pressured since I'm in 6th place, out of reach for a medal. If I persevere until the end I can expect good results."

Looking to regain his honor at what may be his last Olympic Games, Park Tae-hwan will leave for Orlando in the U.S. the day after tomorrow to begin the final stages of his training.