Swimming

Doha 2024, Day 1 Asian Recap: Introducing Kim Woomin Of Korea

February 12, 2024

2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 11th – February 18th
Doha, Qatar
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For the first time in over a decade, the nation of South Korea saw one of its swimmers atop the men’s 400m freestyle World Championshps podium.

Tonight in Doha, Qatar, 22-year-old Kim Woomin busted out the swim of his career to touch in 3:42.71 and grab the gold. He is the first man to do so since Olympian Park Taehwan accomplished the feat at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.

Woomin was under World Record pace through the 200m, registering a blistering first-half split of 1:49.17. He then held on for dear life as the rest of the field continued to creep up on the Korean through the final 50m.

Australia’s Elijah Winnington settled for silver in 3:42.86 while Germany’s Lukas Maertens rounded out the podium in 3:42.96.

Entering this event, Kim’s 4free lifetime best rested at the 3:43.92 he posted last year in Fukuoka to finish 5th, so he knocked over a second off that mark to collect gold tonight.

Kim’s swim bodes well for the Korean men’s 4x200m free relay of which he is a member.

Although the foursome of Hwang Sunwoo, Kim, Yang Jae-hoon and Lee Ho-joon only placed 7th in Fukuoka with a time of 7:04.07, they brought that down to 7:01.73 en route to winning the nation’s first-ever Asian Games gold medal just weeks later in Hangzhou.

Kim split 1:44.50 on that games-record-setting relay, the only one of his team members to get under the 1:45 barrier.

Speaking of relays, tonight’s men’s 4x100m free relay saw the nation of China earn its first-ever World Championships gold in the event.

Setting the stage as lead-off was 19-year-old Pan Zhanle who fired off a new World Record of 46.80.

Splitting 22.26/24.54, teenager Pan beat the former men’s 100m free WR of 46.86 Romanian David Popovici put on the books at the 2022 European Championships.

Pan represents the first Chinese swimmer to ever hold a sprint World Record in either short course or long course. And, Pan gets a payday, with World Records equating to a $30,000 (USD) bonus.

National/Continental Records Through Day 1: