"As My Teammates Fight On..." Kim Woo-min's Confession After Ultimately Withdrawing [AG Video]

Kim Woo-min (25, Gangwon State Office), who opened the "golden age" of South Korean swimming by claiming three gold medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is ultimately ending his campaign at the current tournament due to an injury.

Following the conclusion of the men's 400m relay heats on the morning of the 24th, the Korea Swimming Federation announced, "Based on a comprehensive judgment to protect the athlete and account for pain from his shoulder injury, he will not compete in the men's 400m freestyle event scheduled for the 25th."

Despite his shoulder injury, Kim volunteered to swim in the preliminary heats of the men's 400m relay held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Japan today, stepping up as the first swimmer and completing the 100m split in 50.01 seconds.

South Korea secured a spot in the final—which features the top 10 teams—with a combined time of 3 minutes and 19.55 seconds, as Ji Yu-chan (Daegu Metropolitan City Hall, 49.78 seconds), Lee Ho-joon (Jeju City Hall, 49.93 seconds), and Kim Min-seop (Gyeongbuk Sports Council, 49.83 seconds) kept up the strong pace.

Meeting reporters after the race, Kim confessed, "I was a bit taken aback because it hurt more than I expected. But with me unable to even compete in my individual events (the 200m and 800m freestyle), it didn't feel right to just sit idly by while my teammates were fighting hard. That's why I had a strong desire to push through."
 
Diagnosed with a partial tear of the rotator cuff (supraspinatus) and cartilage in his left shoulder ahead of the competition, Kim only made his injury public after finishing eighth in the 1,500m freestyle final on the 22nd due to lingering pain.

The federation and his coaches had repeatedly urged him not to compete for the sake of his long-term athletic future.

Kim shared, "The federation and my coach advised me, saying, 'This isn't the only competition; the Olympics are still ahead, and if you overexert yourself and things go wrong, it could get worse. Let's take a break, even if it's disappointing.' However, I had trained hard, and the stage of the Asian Games meant so much to me, so the desire to race remained strong."

He added, "I am receiving treatment and taking medication, but this isn't an injury that gets better in an instant. I constantly feel a dull ache even when sleeping. From the warm-ups this morning, the pain hit me harder, which worried me. At first, I wondered if I would be okay, but when I actually tried to put strength into it, the power just wouldn't connect."

Although Kim had maintained a cautious stance during his interview regarding whether he would participate in the 400m freestyle, saying, "I suppose we'll have to discuss it first," he ultimately decided to conclude his tournament run.

He did not forget to send words of encouragement to his teammates who will stand on the starting blocks for the 400m relay final.

Cheering them on, Kim said, "I believe the members in the final will do a fantastic job. I am looking forward to an amazing race that thoroughly washes away the disappointment and frustration I felt."

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