After breaking the Korean record in the men’s 800m freestyle, Kim Woo-min (22-Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province) said he hopes to set new records in the 400m and 1500m as well.
Kim clocked 7:47.69 in Heat 2 of the men’s 800-meter freestyle at the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships on Friday at Fukuoka Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall in Fukuoka, Japan, beating the previous South Korean record of 7:49.93 set by “Marine Boy” Park by 2.24 seconds.
Park’s previous record was set at the 2012 London Olympics in the 1500-meter freestyle race, measured up to 800 meters.
However, as there was no 800m freestyle event at the Olympics at the time, Park was recognized by the International Swimming Federation as a leg of the 1500m race and therefore held the 800m Korean record.
Despite setting a Korean record and placing first in his heat, Kim finished 14th out of 39 swimmers and did not qualify for the finals, which are reserved for the top eight finishers.
Nevertheless, the record is significant. Especially since he overtook Park Tae-hwan, who has long been a fixture in South Korean swimming and a long-distance powerhouse.
“This is my first Korean record, so I’m very emotional. I want to work harder and challenge the Korean records in the 400m and 1500m,” said Kim.
The Korean records for 400 meters and 1500 meters are 3:41.53 and 14:47.38, respectively, and are held by Park Tae-hwan.
“My good performance in the 400m (5th overall – 3:44.92) helped me to run a good race in the 800m,” said Kim Woo-min. With a little more improvement, I’m confident of qualifying for the 800m final at the World Championships 메이저사이트.”
Kim Woo-min’s record will also give the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay a big boost as they look for a ‘surprise medal’.
Hwang Sun-woo (20, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province) and Lee Ho-joon (22, Daegu Metropolitan City) are also in good form after becoming the first South Korean pair to reach a World Championship final together in the 200m freestyle.
Kim Woo-min, who watched the duo qualify for the final the day before, said, “I cheered them on with my own heart. I was more nervous,” he laughed, “but seeing them do well motivated me even more.”
“We talked amongst ourselves that we could play more comfortably now that there are two finalists. If we trust each other and do our best, good things will happen,” he laughed.
The relay team of Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Woo-min, Lee Ho-joon, and Yang Jae-hoon (25-Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province) will compete in the preliminaries and finals in one day on Aug. 28.