The South Korean men's 400m medley relay team has advanced to the finals, continuing their quest for a second consecutive medal at the Asian Games. Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office) aims for his third medal of the tournament in the final.
The South Korean team, consisting of Yoon Ji-hwan (Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office), Jo Sung-jae (Military Sports Unit), Kim Ji-hoon (Daejeon City Hall), and Hwang Sun-woo, recorded a time of 3:39.17 in the preliminary round of the men's 400m medley relay at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center on September 22.
Finishing second in their heat behind Kazakhstan (3:38.65), South Korea placed fifth overall among 16 countries, securing a spot in the finals for the top eight teams. Japan posted the best time at 3:33.62, followed by China at 3:36.56. Indonesia took fourth place with a time of 3:38.97.
South Korea won a silver medal in this event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, setting a national record of 3:32.05 and finishing second to China. The best performances by South Korea in the men's 400m medley relay at the Asian Games have been silver medals in 2010 Guangzhou and 2022 Hangzhou.
Hwang Sun-woo has the opportunity to add a third medal to his collection at this tournament. He previously won a bronze medal in the men's 100m freestyle and another bronze in the men's 800m freestyle relay alongside Kim Jun-woo, Kim Woo-min, and Lee Ho-jun, finishing with a time of 7:06.76. The men's 400m medley relay final is scheduled for 6:25 PM today.
In individual events, South Korean athletes also advanced to the finals. Lee Eun-ji (Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office) recorded a time of 2:11.61, placing third overall in the women's 200m backstroke. Lee, who won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m backstroke at the Hangzhou Games, is aiming for another podium finish.
In the men's 400m individual medley, Kim Min-seok (Jeonju City Hall) finished third overall with a time of 4:21.80, while Kim Min-seop (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) placed seventh with a time of 4:23.75, both qualifying for the finals.
Finalists also emerged in the women's freestyle events. Heo Yeon-kyung (Daejeon Facilities Management Corporation) finished in a tie for fifth place in the 100m freestyle with a time of 55.14 seconds, while Han Da-kyung (Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Sports Council) placed sixth in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:14.54, and Kim Chae-yoon (Daejeon High School) finished tenth with a time of 4:20.62, both advancing to the finals. Jo Hyun-joo (Gyeongbuk Provincial Office) finished 11th in the 100m freestyle with a time of 56.43 seconds, missing out on the finals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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