Wang wins gold in HK swim meet, qualifies for Olympics

Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) Taiwanese swimmer Wang Hsing-hao (王星皓) on Sunday won a gold medal in the men's 200-meter individual medley at the Hong Kong Open Swimming Championships with a time that guaranteed him a place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He won the race with a time of 1 minute 59.44 seconds, good enough to beat the "A" qualifying standard for the 2020 Olympics in the 200-meter individual medley of 1:59.67.

Olympic qualifying for many events, including swimming, is divided into "A" and "B" standards. Athletes who meet the "A" standard are guaranteed a place in the Games, while the participation of those who meet the "B" standard depends on several factors.

Taiwan has seven athletes who have met "B" qualifying standards for the 2020 Games in swimming events, but the 20-year-old Wang was the first to reach the "A" standard to assure himself a spot in Tokyo.

Wang, 20, won a bronze in the event at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy in July, but his best time in that competition was 1:59.87, just outside the Olympic qualifying time.