Kim Woo-min clinched the bronze medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 27, clocking a time of 3:42.60. This marked Kim’s second consecutive podium finish in the event—a first for a Korean swimmer.

The gold medal in this fiercely contested race went to Lucas Mertens of Germany, the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, with a time of 3:42.35. Samuel Short of Australia, the defending champion from the 2023 Fukuoka Championships, followed closely behind, finishing in 3:42.37.

While Kim fell just short of Park Tae-hwan's Korean national record (3:41.53), as well as his own personal best (3:42.42), he missed out on the silver by a mere 0.25 seconds, narrowly missing a repeat title.

Despite this, Kim has made history as the first Korean athlete to win medals in the men's 400m freestyle at two consecutive World Championships. Last February, Kim won gold in the 400m freestyle at the Doha World Championships, becoming the first Korean to do so since Park Tae-hwan at the 2011 Shanghai event.

Kim demonstrated his growing stature once again in Paris, adding a bronze medal to his international accolades.

Following the race, Kim expressed his joy: "I'm really happy to be on the podium again after Doha. I hope to be a swimmer who can keep reaching the podium at every competition in the future." Having returned to a major international stage after nearly a year, he reflected, "It felt a bit unfamiliar at first, but once the race started, my body remembered what to do and I was able to perform well."

Notably, Kim logged the fastest split in the field during the last 50 meters of the final, finishing that segment in 28.55 seconds—outpacing both Mertens (28.65) and Short (28.83), demonstrating impressive concentration under pressure.

Recapping his performance, Kim recalled, "I expected my competitors to start out strong, but the gap wasn't as big as I thought. I could feel Mertens and Short closing in during the latter half, so I gave everything I had until the very end."

Looking ahead, Kim is set to challenge for another podium in the men's 800m freestyle relay. He already made history last year in Doha, helping Korea capture its first-ever relay medal—a silver—in the event.

Kim concluded, "I'm hoping that my performance in the 400m freestyle will have a positive impact on our national team. We've prepared a lot for the 800m relay, so I'm confident that great results will follow."

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News, AP