Ji Yu-chan Wins Medals in 2 Consecutive Games: 'Glad I Could Hear the Aegukga Thanks to Yeong-beom'

South Korean men's sprint powerhouse "Torpedo" Ji Yu-chan (Daegu City Hall) has proven his top-tier competitiveness in Asia by claiming a medal in his second consecutive Asian Games, although he narrowly missed out on a title defense.

Ji touched the pad in third place with a time of 21.94 seconds in the final of the men's 50m freestyle at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Japan today (the 21st).

Although his much-anticipated bid for back-to-back tournament titles was postponed to another day, he secured a precious bronze medal following his gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, stepping onto the podium for the second consecutive event.

Ji and Ian Yentou Ho of Hong Kong, who took the silver medal (21.76 seconds) on this day, are the only two athletes in the history of the Asian Games men's 50m freestyle to win medals in two consecutive editions.

Securing a spot on the podium in consecutive events in a sprint discipline where rankings shift in a split second and variables are at their highest demonstrates Ji's consistent skill.

At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Ji set a South Korean and tournament record of 21.72 seconds, becoming the first South Korean to win gold in this event in 21 years since Kim Min-seok at the 2002 Busan Games.

Stepping onto the Asian Games final stage once again three years later, he engaged in a fierce, friendly rivalry with national team junior Kim Yeong-beom (Gangwon State University & City Hall).

Following the morning preliminaries where Kim Yeong-beom clocked 21.71 seconds to shave 0.01 seconds off Ji's previous tournament record (21.72 seconds), Kim also clinched the gold medal in the final with a new tournament record of 21.66 seconds. Ji similarly slashed through the water until the end to place third, presenting South Korea with both gold and bronze medals in swimming.

The secret behind Ji's resilience in the 50m freestyle—an event where the physical size and power of Western athletes play a decisive role—lies in his grueling efforts and thorough self-hypnosis.

Having started swimming in the second grade of elementary school (age 9), he once ran away from the swimming pool due to harsh training, but jumped back into the water with the warm encouragement of his parents, who told him, "Let's just do our best until this competition."

Even amid the performance plateaus and slumps that hit him during his middle school years, he persevered with the grit of "let's keep going until we can," eventually breaking the 21-second barrier to stand tall as an Asian record holder and Asian Games medalist.

Ahead of this tournament, Ji shared a calm resolve through the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, stating, "This is a stage to challenge my limits. My biggest goal is to carry out my race without regrets."

Despite the heavy pressure of having to defend his top spot, Ji's gaze does not stop after leaving a brilliant footprint as the first-ever athlete to win medals in two consecutive Asian Games 50m freestyle competitions.

Meeting reporters after the match, Ji smiled brightly and said, "Coming into the competition, a successful title defense was my biggest goal so there is some lingering regret, but it is a sufficiently satisfying result. Above all, thanks to Yeong-beom taking first place, I was able to hear the South Korean national anthem on the podium, which made it truly meaningful."

Regarding becoming the first-ever athlete to win consecutive medals in the Asian Games freestyle 50m, he expressed relief, saying, "Records like this provide greater motivation, and my desire to look forward to the next Asian Games is growing. I suffered from heartache because my times were not so great after the trials, but having recorded a time in the 21-second range after a long while, I think I will be able to sleep really comfortably tonight."

Expressing a strong bond regarding the joint podium finish with junior Kim Yeong-beom, he revealed, "I thought to myself that if not me, I really wanted Yeong-beom to take first place, and deep down I pictured us sharing the podium together. I am genuinely happy that wish came true."

Having made a strong start with a pleasing medal, he emphasized, "Just as starting the first event well has always led to a good finish, my goal for the remaining 50m butterfly is to break my personal best and cut through the water without regrets."

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