Kim Woo-min Wins Gold in 400m at World Swimming Championships... First in 13 Years Since Park Tae-hwan

Kim Woo-min (22), South Korea's leading middle- and long-distance swimmer, claimed the top spot in the men's 400m freestyle at the World Championships, marking the first time in 13 years since Park Tae-hwan that a Korean athlete has won this event.

On the 12th (Korean time), Kim Woo-min finished first in the men's 400m freestyle final at the 2024 Doha FINA World Championships held at Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar, with a time of 3 minutes 42.71 seconds. He was 0.15 seconds faster than Australia's Elijah Winnington, who finished second with a time of 3 minutes 42.86 seconds.

Swimming national representative Kim Woo-min is checking his first-place record (3 minutes 42.71 seconds) in the men's freestyle 400m final at the 2024 Doha FINA World Championships held at Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar on the 12th (Korean time).
Photo by AP Yonhap News

Starting from lane 3, Kim Woo-min passed the 50m mark in second place but took the lead by the 100m mark. He then maintained a solo lead up to the 300m point. At 200m, he was comfortably ahead by 1.44 seconds from the second place, and at the 300m mark, he maintained a 1.49-second lead, continuing his strong swim. Although he faced a chase in the final 100m, he held onto the early gap and edged out second place by 0.15 seconds.

Kim Woo-min did not break Park Tae-hwan's Korean record of 3 minutes 41.5 seconds but improved his personal best (3 minutes 43.92 seconds) by 1.21 seconds.

Following Park Tae-hwan, who won the men's 400m freestyle at the 2007 Melbourne and 2011 Shanghai World Championships, Kim Woo-min became the second Korean swimmer in history and the first in 13 years to win a gold medal at the World Swimming Championships.

Kim Woo-min was the only Asian swimmer to reach the finals in the 400m at the World Championships last year and this year, finishing 6th and 5th respectively. This year, aiming for a medal, he showed remarkable growth and stood atop the podium.

At last year's Hangzhou Asian Games, Kim Woo-min swept the gold medals in the 400m and 800m freestyle and the 800m relay, achieving a triple crown. Alongside archer Lim Si-hyun, who also won three gold medals, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Korean delegation.