Kim Youngbeom Wins Silver by 0.04 Seconds... World No. 1 Pan Zhanle Takes Second Consecutive Asian Games Gold

Second Place in Men’s 100m Freestyle at Aichi-Nagoya Games
Dominant Lead with 22.81 Seconds in First 50m
Hwang Sunwoo Finishes Third, 0.18 Seconds Behind, Wins Second Consecutive Bronze

'Short-distance rising star' Kim Youngbeom (Gangwon-do Provincial Office) has become the first Korean swimmer to win a medal at the 2026 Asian Games.

Kim Youngbeom took second place in the men's 100m freestyle final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center in Japan on the 20th, finishing with a time of 47.65 seconds. Hwang Sunwoo (Gangwon-do Provincial Office), who competed in the same race, touched the wall at 47.79 seconds to claim the bronze medal. As a result, Korean swimming marked a pleasant start by winning both a silver and bronze medal in the men’s 100m freestyle, a short-distance event, on the first day of swimming competitions at the Games.

Youngbeom Kim is checking his record after winning the silver medal in the men's 100m freestyle swimming final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 20th at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. Tokyo=Yonhap News Photo

The gold medal went to Pan Zhanle of China, who holds the world record (46.40 seconds) and is considered the undisputed No. 1 in this event. Pan Zhanle finished with a time of 47.61 seconds in the final, earning back-to-back Asian Games titles following his victory in the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

Kim Youngbeom fought a breathtaking close race with Pan Zhanle. The difference between the two was only 0.04 seconds. Kim raced ahead in the first 50 meters with a powerful start, clocking 22.81 seconds, but could not hold off Pan's tremendous surge in the latter half of the race.

“My heart was really pounding. It’s such a shame,” Kim said. “Up to 75 meters, the race went better than I ever expected,” he added, “but in the last 25 meters, I think my inexperience as an ‘amateur’ was exposed,” he laughed.

“To be honest, at the 35-meter mark, I glanced to the side and saw that I was doing so well, so I got a bit overconfident,” Kim confessed. “I trained a lot for these kinds of situations, but I was shaken a little.” He went on to say, “A medal in an individual event means an enormous amount to my career. To finish second among world-class swimmers is incredibly valuable. It makes me happy to think, 'I did this among these top athletes.'”

During the interview, there was a heartwarming moment as Pan Zhanle gave Kim Youngbeom a thumbs-up while passing by in the mixed zone.

Hwang Sunwoo (right) shook hands with Pan Zhanle, who won the gold medal, after finishing third in the men's 100m freestyle final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on the 20th. Tokyo=Yonhap News Agency

Hwang Sunwoo, who set an Asian record (47.56 seconds) at this very venue during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, also touched the wall in third place, just 0.18 seconds behind Pan Zhanle. Hwang claimed his second consecutive Asian Games bronze in the 100m freestyle, following the Hangzhou Games.

Hwang commented, “I set a season-best time of 47.79 seconds, and it was close to my personal best (47.56 seconds). It wasn’t the exact time I was aiming for, but I’m thinking positively. Since I’m starting the Games with a bronze medal, I’ll do my best in the remaining events.”

Meanwhile, Lee Juho (Seogwipo City Hall), who competed in the men's 100m backstroke, reached the podium at the Asian Games for the third consecutive time. He took bronze in the final with a time of 53.94 seconds. At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, he earned two bronze medals, and at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, he won two silvers and one bronze medal. Xu Jiayu (China) took first place with 51.98 seconds, and Hidekazu Takehara (Japan) was second with 53.93 seconds.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.