[Asian Games] Kim Woo-min, Korea's 3rd Ever Triple Swimming Gold Medalist at Asian Games

Third Gold Medal Added on the 25th and 28th
Choi Yoon-hee Becomes Third Swimming Triple Crown Winner After Park Tae-hwan
Strongest in Asia, Proving Competitiveness Worldwide

The third single Asian Games triple gold medalist in Korean swimming, following Choi Yun-hee (1982 New Delhi Games) and Park Tae-hwan (2006 Doha and 2010 Guangzhou), has emerged. It is the first time in 13 years since Park Tae-hwan. The protagonist is Kim Woo-min (22, Gangwon Province Office).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 29th, Kim Woo-min touched the pad first with a time of 3 minutes 44.36 seconds in the men's freestyle 400m final at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games swimming event held at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. This is his third gold medal following the men's 800m medley relay on the 25th and the 800m freestyle on the 28th.

Kim Woo-min had previously easily passed the preliminaries as the overall first place (3 minutes 49.03 seconds). In the final, starting from lane 4, he surged ahead from the 50m mark (25.19 seconds) and never relinquished the lead, dominating his competitors. Asia was a small stage for him. Earlier, at the World Championships in Fukuoka last July, he was the only Asian swimmer to reach the final in this event and placed 5th with a Korean record (3 minutes 43.92 seconds).

Born in 2001, Kim Woo-min started swimming in the first grade at Jungri Elementary School in Busan at the encouragement of his father, who loved swimming, and began his athletic career in the fifth grade. His idol is Park Tae-hwan. He initially started with backstroke but did not stand out, and during his time at Busan Sports High School, he began training in middle- and long-distance freestyle at the coach’s suggestion. With innate muscular endurance and diligent training, he grew rapidly. Now, Kim Woo-min is a 'world-class' athlete competitive on the global stage.

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