South Korea finished with 20 swimming medals in Tokyo, highlighted by the performance of 20-year-old Kim Young-beom.
Key facts
- •South Korea won 20 swimming medals at the Tokyo Asian Games, including one gold.
- •Kim Young-beom set a new Asian Games record of 21.66 seconds in the 50m freestyle.
- •The team's 2023 performance in Hangzhou included 22 medals and six gold medals.
- •Pan Zhanle, the 100m freestyle world record holder, predicted Kim Young-beom would eventually break his record.
- •Kim Young-beom competed in six days of events at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The South Korean swimming delegation concluded the Asian Games in Tokyo with 20 total medals, falling short of the 22 medals secured at the 2023 Hangzhou Asiad. While the team earned one gold, six silvers, and 13 bronzes, the competition marked the emergence of 20-year-old Kim Young-beom as a new force in the sport.
By the numbers
Kim Young-beom's Performance
Kim Young-beom secured a gold medal in the men's 50-meter freestyle with an Asian Games record time of 21.66 seconds, having previously broken the former record of 21.72 seconds during the heats. He also earned a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle, finishing 0.04 seconds behind world record holder Pan Zhanle. Additionally, Kim anchored the team to silver in the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay and bronze in both the men's 4x100-meter medley and mixed 4x100-meter medley relays.
Comparison to Previous Success
The 2026 performance followed the 2023 Hangzhou Games, where South Korea achieved its highest medal count at a single Asiad, including six gold medals. In that competition, Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo were the primary medalists, winning gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, while Kim Woo-min took titles in the 400m and 800m freestyle and Hwang won the 200m freestyle. In Tokyo, Hwang earned a silver medal in his 200m freestyle title defense, but neither he nor Kim Woo-min secured gold.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Yonhap News, The Korea Times.
