Zhang Zhanshuo Wins Men's 1,500m Freestyle Gold... Kim Woo-min Finishes 8th Despite Shoulder Injury

Chinese swimming rising star Zhang Zhanshuo claimed the top spot in the men's 1,500m freestyle at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, securing his second gold medal of the competition.

Racing at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Japan today (the 22nd), Zhang touched the pad first in the men's 1,500m freestyle final with a time of 14:42.42 to capture the gold medal.

Having contributed to China's victory in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay the previous day, Zhang thus collected his second gold medal of this games.

The silver and bronze medals went to Japan's Kaito Tabuchi (14:45.99) and Kazushi Imafuku (14:54.37), respectively.

South Korean swimming star Kim Woo-min (Gangwon State Office), who won the silver medal in this event at the previous games, finished 8th with a time of 15:16.52.

Kim, whose left rotator cuff and labrum were partially torn while preparing for the games, pushed through to compete without disclosing the injury externally, resulting in a disappointing finish.

Kim Jun-woo (Gangwon State Sports Council), who competed alongside him, finished 5th with a personal best time of 14:57.13.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.