Next Generation Korean Backstroke Stars Ji-Hwan Yoon and Seungwon Kim Both Win Bronze in Men's and Women's 50m

Up-and-coming Korean backstroke swimmers Ji-Hwan Yoon and Seungwon Kim both claimed bronze medals in the 50m backstroke at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Ji-Hwan Yoon, who holds the Korean record in the men's 50m backstroke, finished third in the men's 50m backstroke final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, with a time of 24.54 seconds on September 21, 2026. The gold and silver medals were claimed by China's Xu Jiayu (24.04 seconds) and Wang Zicheng (24.49 seconds), respectively.

Yoon Jihwan (right) is taking a commemorative photo after winning the bronze medal in the men's 50m backstroke final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In the preliminary round held in the morning, Ji-Hwan Yoon advanced to the final with the second fastest overall time of 24.74 seconds, just behind Xu Jiayu. While he was 0.06 seconds faster than Wang Zicheng in the preliminaries, he fell short by 0.05 seconds in the final, missing out on a higher finish.

Seungwon Kim, who holds the Korean record in the women's 50m backstroke, also earned a bronze in the final with a time of 27.72 seconds. China swept the gold and silver medals in the women's 50m event as well, with Wan Letian winning gold in 27.47 seconds and Wang Xue'er taking silver in 27.66 seconds.

Kim also placed second overall in the preliminaries behind Wan Letian but dropped to third in the final as Wang Xue'er overtook her.

Ji-Hwan Yoon and Seungwon Kim, born in 2006 and 2010 respectively, are both regarded as the next generation of Korean backstroke talent.

Seungwon Kim is seen celebrating on the podium after winning the bronze medal in the women's 50m backstroke final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Eunji, who advanced to the women's 50m backstroke final along with Seungwon Kim, finished seventh with a time of 28.53 seconds.

Choi Dongyeol, who had won bronze in both the men's 50m and 100m breaststroke at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, ranked second overall in the morning preliminaries for the men's 100m breaststroke but finished fifth in the final with a time of 59.46 seconds and failed to win a medal.

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