2024-07-27 10:22:05
[PARiS 2024]
This year’s best record is 3 minutes 42.42 seconds… 4th in the world
Hangzhou AG-Doha World Championships Winner
“My dream since I started swimming was Olympic gold.”
“The first thing I saw when I came to the Olympic swimming pool was the podium for the medalists.”
Kim Woo-min (23), a middle-distance star in Korean swimming who is experiencing a renaissance, said this after finishing training at the La Defense Arena in Paris, where the swimming events at the Paris Olympics will be held from the 27th. The podium was set up in this swimming pool before the opening of the Olympics. Several athletes went up to the podium to take commemorative photos, but Kim Woo-min held back. He then said, “I want to go up on the podium with a medal around my neck.”
Kim Woo-min’s main event, the men’s 400m freestyle, will have its preliminaries on the 27th at 6:45 p.m. (Korean time) and its finals on the 28th at 3:42 a.m. Kim Woo-min won the event at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year and the Doha World Aquatics Championships this year. The 400m freestyle is the first event to have its finals at this competition, so if Kim Woo-min steps onto the podium, it will be Korea’s first medal in swimming. Kim Woo-min said, “If I get off to a good start, other swimmers will also gain confidence.” Korea’s swimming goal for this competition is three medals, the most ever in a single Olympics.
If Kim Woo-min wins a medal, he will be the first South Korean swimmer to win an Olympic medal in swimming in 12 years since Park Tae-hwan at the 2012 London Games. South Korean swimmers have won a total of four medals at the Olympics so far, all of which belong to Park. Park won gold and silver in the 400m freestyle and 200m freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Games, and silver in the same event at the 2012 London Games.
Kim Woo-min competed only as a member of the men’s 800m freestyle relay at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. However, he has grown rapidly over the past three years to become a world-class athlete. Kim Woo-min’s best time in the 400m freestyle this year is 3 minutes 42.42 seconds, ranking him 4th in the world (based on his personal best). Lucas Mertens (Germany, 3 minutes 40.33 seconds) is in 1st place, Elijah Winington (3 minutes 41.41 seconds) is in 2nd place, and Samuel Short (Australia, 3 minutes 41.64 seconds) is in 3rd place. Swimming media outlet SwimSwam predicted that Kim Woo-min would win a bronze medal. However, Kim Woo-min confidently said, “I want to stand at the highest place. Since I first started swimming, my dream has been an Olympic gold medal.”
Kim Woo-min will compete in up to five events (200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m freestyle, 800m freestyle relay) at this Olympics. He will challenge for the first ever medal in Olympic swimming team event in the 800m freestyle relay, which he leads with Hwang Seon-woo (21). In the 800m relay, four swimmers swim 200m in turn. The 800m relay team gained confidence after winning a silver medal at the Doha World Aquatics Championships. Kim Woo-min said, “Since my team members are in good condition, I want to achieve my dream of a medal in the relay.”
Reporter Jeong Yun-cheol [email protected]
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2024-07-27 10:22:05