Many South Korean swimming officials call Kim Woo-min (22, Gangwon Provincial Office) a “freestyle prodigy.
This is because Kim, a 1,500-meter long-distance swimmer, has also shown talent in the 400-meter and 200-meter events.
He won the 400-meter freestyle at the 2024 World Championships and took bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
However, Kim’s father, Kim Kyu-nam, who has watched him closely, told Yonhap News Agency on the day his son became an “Olympic medalist,” “My son, I’m proud of him, but he’s not a genius,” Kim said firmly.
For Mr. Kim, it was his son’s hard work that transformed his talent into an Olympic medal.
“When he was younger, Woo Min-i was just a qualifier,” Kim said, ”but he came this far with a lot of hard work, so I’m more proud of him.”
“It was thanks to Hwang Sun-woo that Woo Min-yi won an Olympic medal,” he said, adding, ”I’m very grateful to him.”
Hwang Sun-woo (Gangwon-do) is two years Kim Woo-min’s junior.
However, Hwang has been recognized as a world-class athlete since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
“Watching Sunwoo Hwang gave Woo Min a good inspiration,” said Kim Kyu Nam. He acknowledged that his junior was better than him and learned a lot from him,” said Kim. ”Thanks to him, Korean swimming management athletes were supported by the Korea Swimming Federation and other organizations, and Woo Min-ki’s horizons were broadened through training camps in Australia.”
Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo are close classmates.
Although Hwang Sun-woo was the first to receive attention, Kim Woo-min was not jealous of him.
Rather, he recognized Hwang Sunwoo’s ability and was grateful for the support he received from him.
At the same time, he strived to enter the center of the world like Hwang.
Their friendship has sparked a renaissance in Korean swimming.
At the Doha World Championships in February this year, Kim Woo-min won the 400-meter freestyle and Hwang Sun-woo won the 200-meter freestyle.
They teamed up with Lee Ho-joon (Jeju City) and Yang Jae-hoon (Gangwon Province) to win a silver medal in the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay.
Doha 2024 marked the first time a Korean swimming management team has produced more than one medalist at a single World Championships and the first time a team has won a medal in a team event.
South Korean swimming was aiming for its best-ever Olympic performance in Paris, and Kim gave his teammates a boost with a bronze medal on day one.
Kim was introduced to the water at an early age thanks to his father, who was an avid swimmer.When he was in the fifth grade at Jungri Elementary School in Busan, he joined an “elite class” at the suggestion of teacher Ha Sung-hoon (now a teacher at Eungbong Elementary School).
“Mr. Ha is a benefactor to my family,” Kim said. He said, ‘There’s a competition like this. Let’s try it,’” Kim said. ”He participated in several competitions and became more interested in swimming. He is still in contact with his teacher.
As a boy, Kim’s main sport was backstroke.
“I swam backstroke until the second grade at Busan Gymnasium, but I didn’t improve as much as I wanted to,” Kim says. ‘At the end of my second year of middle school, after failing to qualify in the boys’ competition, I decided I needed a change and tried the 1,500-meter freestyle. I immediately placed fourth at the national championships, and my times improved from there,” he recalls.
After becoming one of Korea’s top middle and long-distance athletes in high school, Kim began to compete internationally, especially in the 400-meter freestyle.
He finished sixth (3:45.64) at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest and improved his time and ranking to fifth (3:43.92) at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka.
At the World Championships in Doha in February of this year, he took the top spot with a time of 3:42.71.
“I didn’t think Woo Min-yi would win the World Championships either. I thought I’d be lucky to get a medal,” said Kim. ”He keeps surprising us. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said in an overwhelmed voice.
The unthinkable happened again.
Kim Woo-min proudly won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
“My friends and family came to my house to cheer me on,” says Kim. ”I was worried about his qualifying results, but he did well in the final. After the awards ceremony, we had a video call and she was smiling brightly. I was really happy,” he said.
“I held hands with my wife and said, ‘He’s our son, but he’s really amazing,’” said Kim Kyu-nam, who was overjoyed. ”I would like to thank many people, including Busan Gymnastics Teacher Kim Soo-chan, Busan Gymnastics Teacher Seo Sung-shik, and Gangwon Provincial Office Director Lee Bo-eun, for making Woo Min-yi who he is today. Our family, including Woo Min-yi, will always be grateful.”
The son knows his father’s heart.
In a post-match interview, Kim Woo-min said, “I’m grateful to my teammates, trainers, coaches, and many others who helped me through the tough training sessions. I would also like to thank the Korea Sports Federation, the Korean Swimming Federation, the cooks at the athletes’ village, and everyone else.”
“Oh, my son spoke well,” Kim’s mom said with a smile. 안전놀이터