The South Korean swimming team set a new national record in the mixed 400m medley relay, earning a bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The team, consisting of Kim Seung-won (Gyeonggi Physical Education High School), Choi Dong-yeol (Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office), Ahn Se-hyun (Jeju City Hall), and Kim Young-beom (Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office), recorded a time of 3:44.12 in the final held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center on September 23. China won the gold medal with a time of 3:40.38, while Japan secured silver with 3:43.98.
Along with the medal, South Korea also set a new national record, surpassing the previous mark of 3:46.78 set at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games by 2.66 seconds. This bronze medal marks the third consecutive medal for South Korea in the mixed medley relay, following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou Games.
Assigned to lane two, South Korea started the race in the middle of the pack. Kim Seung-won completed the backstroke leg in 1:00.15, and Choi Dong-yeol moved the team up a position during the breaststroke. Ahn Se-hyun maintained the fourth position in the butterfly leg before handing off to the final swimmer, Kim Young-beom.
The race was decided in the final 100 meters. Kim Young-beom, the gold medalist in the men's 50m freestyle, quickly closed the gap and moved into third place, challenging Japan. However, South Korea finished just 0.14 seconds behind Japan, touching the wall for the bronze.
Earlier in the morning heats, Lee Eun-ji, Park Si-eun, Kim Ji-hoon, and Hwang Sun-woo recorded a time of 3:54.02, securing fifth place overall and a spot in the finals. As a result, all eight swimmers who participated in both the heats and finals will receive bronze medals.
This bronze in the mixed 400m medley is the 12th medal for the South Korean swimming team at the Games. The team began the competition with one silver and two bronze medals on the first day, followed by one gold and four bronze medals on the 21st, and an additional bronze on the 22nd. On the day of the mixed medley, Kim Seung-won also earned a bronze in the men's 100m backstroke, and Hwang Sun-woo took silver in the men's 200m freestyle, contributing to the team's success.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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