Kim Seo-young, Increased Medal Chances in Women's 200m Individual Medley

Kaeli Maejyeon, Who Set This Year's World No.1 Record, Absent

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Seo-young (Gyeongbuk Provincial Office), who is participating in the women's 200m individual medley at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will not face this year's world number one ranked athlete (2 minutes 08.19 seconds). It is Kaylee McKeown from Australia. Rohan Taylor, head coach of the Australian swimming team, announced at a press conference on the 22nd, "McKeown will not compete in the 200m individual medley." He judged that the tight competition schedule could negatively affect her condition.

McKeown originally intended to participate in the backstroke 100m and 200m, as well as the 200m individual medley among individual events. The 200m individual medley preliminary heats will be held on the afternoon of the 26th. The backstroke 100m final, which has semifinals the day before, will be held the next morning. Coach Taylor said, "Competing in all events is too much," adding, "McKeown will focus on backstroke and the (relay) medley relay." McKeown holds the women's backstroke world record (57.45 seconds). She aims not only for the gold medal but also to break the world record at this competition.

This is good news for Kim Seo-young, who is challenging for South Korea's first Olympic medal in women's swimming. Kim Seo-young has been on the rise since winning the women's 200m individual medley at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games with a Korean record (2 minutes 08.34 seconds). The preliminary heats for the 200m individual medley at this competition will be held on the afternoon of the 26th. Kim Seo-young was assigned to lane 6 in the last heat, heat 4.

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