KOR
▲ South Korea's Kim Young-beom competes in the heats of the men's 100m freestyle at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on the 20th.
Sprint rising star Kim Young-beom and South Korean swimming ace Hwang Sun-woo emerged as the first medalists for South Korean swimming by finishing second and third, respectively, in the men's 100m freestyle final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Japan today (the 20th).
Kim Young-beom claimed the silver medal with a time of 47.65 seconds.
Hwang Sun-woo, who raced alongside him, touched the pad in 47.79 seconds to win the bronze medal.
▲ Hwang Sun-woo warms up before the start.
With this, South Korean swimming made a great start on the first day of the competition by capturing both silver and bronze medals in the men's freestyle sprint event.
The victory went to Pan Zhanle, the world record holder and undisputed powerhouse in this event.
Pan Zhanle crossed the finish line in 47.61 seconds, achieving his second consecutive Asian Games title following the Hangzhou Games.
A breathtaking battle unfolded, with just a 0.04-second gap between him and runner-up Kim Young-beom.
Kim Young-beom showcased a powerful late surge, chasing right behind world champion Pan Zhanle with an explosive finish to secure the silver medal.
Hwang Sun-woo, who previously set an Asian record at this very venue during the Tokyo Olympics, also swam strongly with a time of 47.79 seconds. Finishing 0.18 seconds behind Pan Zhanle to touch the pad in third place, he collected his second consecutive bronze medal in the 100m freestyle following the Hangzhou Games.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
