▲ South Korea's Kim Woo-min leaves the pool after the men's 1,500m freestyle final at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on September 22, during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
South Korean swimming star Kim Woo-min (Gangwon State Government), who dived into the water carrying a shoulder injury, has ultimately decided to withdraw from the men's 800m freestyle.
An official from the Korea Swimming Federation stated today (September 23), "Regarding Kim Woo-min's shoulder injury, we plan to receive an official medical report and convey his intention not to participate in the men's 800m freestyle to the competition's organizing committee."
Consequently, Kim's bid for a second consecutive Asian Games title in the 800m freestyle—an event where he claimed the top spot at the 2022 Hangzhou Games while setting a South Korean record (7:46.03)—has fallen through.
While preparing for this tournament, Kim was diagnosed with a partial tear of the left shoulder rotator cuff (supraspinatus) and superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesion, along with impingement syndrome.
Entering the competition without disclosing his injury to the outside world, he teamed up to win a bronze medal in the men's 800m freestyle relay on September 21, and subsequently competed in the men's 1,500m freestyle final on September 22. However, his pain flared up during the race, leaving him in last place with a time of 15:16.52.
Although he showed a strong determination to compete in his remaining events after the 1,500m freestyle race, he ultimately decided to skip the long-distance 800m freestyle event after discussions with the coaching staff, taking into account the risk of further injury and athlete protection.
With Kim's withdrawal, mid-to-long-distance promising talent Kim Jun-woo (Gangwon State Sports Council) will be the sole South Korean representative slicing through the water in the men's 800m freestyle scheduled for tomorrow (September 24).
Kim's main event, the 400m freestyle on September 25, is currently targeted to proceed as planned.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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