South Korean swimmers Kim Min-seok (Jeonju City Hall) and Kim Min-seob (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) have both qualified for the final of the men's 400m individual medley at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, setting their sights on a medal.
On September 22, at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, Kim Min-seok recorded a time of 4:21.80 in the preliminary round, finishing third overall and securing a spot in the final for the top eight competitors. Kim Min-seob also advanced, placing seventh with a time of 4:23.75.
In the second heat, Kim Min-seok competed against Japan's Kojima Yumeki. He maintained a strong position after the butterfly segment and significantly closed the gap during the final freestyle leg, finishing just 0.26 seconds behind heat winner Kojima, who clocked 4:21.54.
Kim Min-seob started strong in the third heat but fell back during the backstroke and breaststroke segments. Nevertheless, he completed the race in 4:23.75, successfully qualifying for the final.
Japanese swimmers led the preliminaries, with Matsushita Tomoyuki finishing first overall at 4:21.05, followed by Kojima. The gap between Kim Min-seok and the top qualifier was only 0.75 seconds. China's Wang Shun placed fourth with a time of 4:23.17.
This will be Kim Min-seok's second attempt at an individual medley medal in the tournament. He finished fourth in the 200m individual medley final on September 20, with a time of 1:59.69, narrowly missing the podium despite a strong finish in the final freestyle segment.
The men's 400m individual medley final is scheduled for 5:08 PM today, where Kim Min-seok and Kim Min-seob will compete against Japan's Matsushita and Kojima, as well as China's Wang Shun for the medals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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