Park Tae Hwan. Photo by Korean Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han)

South Korean Swimming Enters its Golden Era
 

South Korea's swimming community is witnessing an unprecedented rise to prominence. Although retired swimmer Park Tae-hwan, now 34, demonstrated that Korean athletes could make their mark on the global stage, he often bore the weight of the sport in South Korea on his own. That era is now behind us.

On the 25th, Korea achieved an historical milestone by securing a gold medal in the freestyle relay at the Asian Games, doing so with a new Asian record. It's no longer a single individual shouldering the weight of Korean swimming - it's now a collective endeavor.

The quartet, consisting of Yang Jae-hoon, Lee Ho-joon, Kim Woo-min, and Hwang Sun-woo, had previously made waves on July 28 at the Fukuoka Marine Messe in Japan during the 2023 World Swimming Championships. Competing in the men's 800m relay final, they completed the race in 7 minutes and 4.07 seconds, finishing in sixth place, the best performance for a South Korean relay team in world championship history.

This same team went on to further their reputation on the 25th at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center swimming pool, during the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. They clinched gold in the men's 800m relay final with a time of 7 minutes and 1.73 seconds, setting a new Asian record. The previous record, set by Japan in 2009 during the World Championships in Rome, Italy, while wearing full-body swimsuits, stood at 7 minutes and 2.26 seconds. This means that, after 14 years, Korea improved on the previous Asian record by 0.53 seconds.

In a related event at the same venue, Ji Woo-chan secured a gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle, completing the race in 21.72 seconds. This new time not only represents a new Asian Games record but also a national record for South Korea. Ji's victory marked the first time in 21 years that a South Korean swimmer has claimed gold in the 50m freestyle at the Asian Games, with the previous win credited to Kim Min-seok.

The accomplishments of these athletes signal a new era for South Korean swimming, illustrating that the nation is now a force to be reckoned with in the pool.