South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min's bid for a historic Asian Games feat was foiled Tuesday night before he even reached the halfway point, but the 22-year-old is determined to finish his competition in China on a strong note.
Kim arrived in Hangzhou this month trying to become the first South Korean swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Asiad. He took care of the first one by winning the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay title Monday night, with his blistering split of 1:44.50 helping South Korea set an Asian record time of 7:01.73.
But on Tuesday, Kim took the silver medal in the 1,500m freestyle at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou at 15:01.07.
"Even though I won't get to win four gold medals here, I am satisfied with this silver medal," Kim said. "I am going to concentrate on the remaining races and try to put on good performances from here and on."
Even the veritable South Korean swimming legend, Park Tae-hwan, had never won more than three gold medals at an Asian Games. Kim is far less heralded than Park was in his heyday, though Kim also has the fortune of having less competition in Asia in his main events, the 400m and 800m freestyle, than Park did.
Whether going for a piece of Korean swimming history had been a burden, Kim said, "It never put any pressure on me. I tried to enjoy the challenge."
Kim's silver medal time Tuesday was far off his personal best of 14:54.25 set last fall, and Kim admitted he ran out of gas by the midway point.
Kim said he'd been building up for the relay title more than anything, meaning his training had centered on mid-distance racing, instead of the long-distance racing that the 1,500m freestyle requires.
"I think I have the speed, but just not the strength to withstand the 1,500m," Kim said. "But I've been doing the 1,500m for quite a while, and I think I have a pretty good foundation."
Kim can still equal Park's mark of three gold medals, with the 800m freestyle on Thursday and the 400m freestyle Friday.
Kim owns the national record in the 800m free, with 7:47.69 set at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July. He finished fifth in the 400m free at the same worlds with a personal best time of 3:43.92.
"My goal in the 400m is to break my personal best," Kim said. "In the 800m, I set the national record in Fukuoka, and I want to be able to carry that feeling into the pool here."
Source: Yonhap News Agency