Eunji Lee, First Korean Female Swimmer to Reach 200m Backstroke Semifinals [Paris Olympics]

Record of 2 minutes 09.88 seconds, 10th overall to semifinals

Lee Eun-ji (18, Bangsan High School), the youngest member of the South Korean swimming team, successfully advanced to the semifinals of the women's 200m backstroke at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The youngest member of the national swimming team, Eunji Lee, successfully advanced to the semifinals of the women's 200m backstroke at the Paris Olympics.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 1st (Korean time), Lee Eun-ji ranked 4th in her heat and 10th overall with a time of 2 minutes 09.88 seconds in the women's 200m backstroke heats held at the La D?fense Arena in Paris, France.

With this, Lee Eun-ji comfortably secured a spot in the semifinals, which are granted to the top 16 swimmers.

Earlier, despite competing in the Paris Olympics without fully recovering from an ankle injury sustained in April, she achieved the valuable result of advancing to the semifinals, raising expectations for a medal.

Born in 2007, Lee Eun-ji is the youngest swimmer on the national team. Although young, this is already her second Olympic appearance.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Lee Eun-ji participated as the youngest member of the South Korean team at age 15. In Tokyo, she competed in the women's 100m and 200m backstroke events but was eliminated in the heats.

Athletes competing in the women's 200m backstroke heat 4 at the swimming events of the '2024 Paris Olympics' are starting the race. Lee Eun-ji, a member of the Korean national team who competed in lane 8 of heat 4, secured 4th place in the heat with a time of 2:09.88, advancing to the semifinals.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

However, having grown into the next-generation leader of South Korean women's swimming, Lee Eun-ji won a total of five medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games last year, including bronze medals in the 200m backstroke, 100m backstroke, mixed medley relay 400m, and freestyle relay 800m, as well as a silver medal in the medley relay 400m.

Following male swimmer Lee Jun-ho (29, Seogwipo City Hall) on the 31st of last month, South Korean women's swimming also achieved success by advancing to the semifinals in the 200m backstroke.

Lee Eun-ji will challenge to become the first Korean backstroker to reach the final in the women's 200m backstroke semifinals, scheduled for 4:19 AM on the 2nd.