The South Korean men's swimming team clinched a silver medal in the men's 400m freestyle relay at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, overtaking Japan in the final stretch.
On September 24, at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, Korea finished the final with a time of 3:11.69, securing second place. The team consisted of Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon Provincial Office), Kim Ji-hoon (Daejeon City Hall), Yang Jae-hoon, and Kim Young-beom (both from Gangwon Provincial Office).
The gold medal went to China, which set a new Asian record with a time of 3:10.60. Japan took third place, finishing 0.27 seconds behind Korea with a time of 3:11.96.
Korea maintained a strong position from the start of the race. Hwang Sun-woo led off, completing the first 100m in 47.50 seconds, passing the baton to Kim Ji-hoon. Kim recorded a time of 47.70 seconds, keeping Korea tied for first with China at the 200m mark with a total time of 1:35.20.
However, Yang Jae-hoon recorded a time of 49.65 seconds, causing Korea to drop to third place at the 300m mark with a time of 2:24.85, trailing behind China and Japan.
The competition intensified in the final 100m. Kim Young-beom was 0.45 seconds behind Japan's Shun Mitsunaga at the 350m turn but quickly closed the gap in the last 50m. He overtook Japan and secured second place by touching the pad just ahead of them, ensuring Korea's silver medal.
This marks Korea's second consecutive silver medal in the men's 400m freestyle relay, following their performance at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, where they also finished second with a time of 3:12.96, behind China.
In the preliminary round, the team of Kim Woo-min, Ji Yoo-chan, Lee Ho-jun, and Kim Min-seob recorded a time of 3:19.55, finishing first in their heat and fourth overall to advance to the finals.
For the final, the team lineup was changed to Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Ji-hoon, Yang Jae-hoon, and Kim Young-beom, who competed fiercely against Japan, ultimately adding a silver medal to their tally.
With this silver medal, Kim Young-beom has now won six medals at this event. He previously earned a gold medal in the 50m freestyle and a silver in the 100m freestyle, along with additional medals in team events.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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