▲ South Korea's Kim Woo-min leaves the pool after checking his result in the men's 1,500m freestyle final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on September 22.
Kim Woo-min (25, Gangwon State Office), the bronze medalist in the men's 400m freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has decided to focus on rehabilitation rather than undergo shoulder surgery.
An official from All That Sports, Kim's management agency, stated on October 12, "Medical examinations conducted after the Asian Games concluded that surgery is not necessary," adding, "He will undergo rehabilitation training with check-ups every two to three weeks."
Kim, who has currently halted high-intensity swimming training, is recovering by combining low-intensity training and rehabilitation.
He will not participate in the 107th National Sports Festival, which opens in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on October 16, but plans to visit the venue to cheer on his teammates from the Gangwon State Office.
Given his current condition, Kim is not expected to face major issues in competing at the 2027 World Aquatics Championships, scheduled to be held in Budapest, Hungary, in June next year.
Kim, a leading figure in South Korean swimming, captured three gold medals in the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 800m free relay at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023.
However, he prepared for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games with a partial tear in his left rotator cuff and cartilage, and his injury worsened during the 1,500m freestyle race.
Despite this, to ease the burden on his teammates, he competed in the 400m and 800m free relays, helping win a silver and a bronze medal, respectively.
Having won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle at the 2024 Doha World Championships, Kim claimed the bronze medal at the 2025 Singapore Championships.
At the 2027 Budapest Championships, he is expected to face a pride-on-the-line showdown with Zhang Zhanshuo (China), who won seven gold medals in swimming at this Asian Games.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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