[Anchor]

Led by Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min, South Korean swimming is set for an intense showdown against global swimming powerhouses China and Japan. To claim victory in this "Swimming Three Kingdoms" battle, our national team athletes continued their intensive training in Tokyo for the second consecutive day.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the story.

[Reporter]

Hwang Sun-woo warmly greets Chinese head coach Michael Bohl, who previously served as the dedicated coach for SBS swimming commentator Park Tae-hwan.

Under the watchful eyes of their rival Chinese athletes, our swimmers powerful cut through the water as they prepare for the decisive clash.

[Lee Joo-ho / Swimming National Team Captain: Let's all fight for this Asian Games! Fight!]

Having won more gold medals than Japan for the first time in history at the previous Hangzhou Games, South Korean swimming is once again expected to engage in a three-way battle with China and Japan.

The main battleground will be the men's freestyle events, where aces from all three nations will converge. A head-to-head showdown between Kim Woo-min, a three-time champion at the last Games, and China's 19-year-old ace Zhang Zhanshuo is drawing intense interest.

The two will clash in at least five events. Earlier this year, Zhang surpassed Kim's personal best in Kim's signature 400m event and even defeated the Olympic champion.

[Kim Woo-min / National Swimming Team Member: Since I'm currently behind in terms of records, I think it actually gives me more strength. I plan to approach this with the mindset of a challenger and give it my all.]

In his signature 200m freestyle event, Hwang Sun-woo faces an even fiercer competition not only from Zhang Zhanshuo but also from Japan's 19-year-old rising star, Murasa.

Murasa pushed Hwang to fourth place and claimed the bronze medal at last year's World Championships, but Hwang vows to secure consecutive titles by leveraging his superior records and experience.

[Hwang Sun-woo / National Swimming Team Member: Having the fastest PB (personal best) is my greatest strength, and I will do my best to climb to the highest step of the podium.]

Furthermore, in the 800m freestyle relay—where South Korea won its first-ever team gold medal in Hangzhou—the time differences among South Korea, China, and Japan are less than a second each. The men's 100m freestyle, featuring Olympic champion Pan Zhanle alongside Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Young-beom, also remains too close to call.

The fierce swimming showdown among South Korea, China, and Japan kicks off the day after tomorrow, starting with the men's 100m freestyle.

(Camera: Park Hyun-chul, Video Editing: Park Jung-sam, Design: Lee Ga-jin)