Kim Seo-yeong to be third Korean swimmer to participate in 4 Olympics
By Bryan Ke
South Korean swimming star Kim Seo-yeong has secured her spot in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the third Korean swimmer to qualify for four Olympic Games.
Key points:
- Kim, 30, finished with a time of two minutes and 13.24 seconds in the women’s individual medley 200m final of the 2024 Paris Olympics National Team Selection – KB Financial Group Korea Swimming Championship at the Gimcheon Indoor Swimming Pool in Gyeongbuk province, South Korea, on Sunday.
- Kim will become the third Korean swimmer in history to participate in four Olympic Games after Park Tae-hwan (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016) and Nam Yu-seon (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and Rio 2016). Kim participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The details:
- While Kim fell short of the Olympic qualification time (OQT) of two minutes and 11.47 seconds for Paris, her record from the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, at two minutes and 10.36 seconds, helped her secure her spot and a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley.
- The Korean Swimming Federation High-Performance Committee noted that if the top two finishers at the trials fell short of the OQT, they could still earn a spot on the national team by achieving a qualifying finishing time in competitions held between March 1, 2023, and June 23, 2024. The Hangzhou Asian Games occurred between Sept. 23 and Oct. 8.
- “The Olympics are the dream of all sports and athletes, and it’s the force that keeps me from giving up swimming,” Kim Seo-yeong told Chosun after her win.
- Joining Kim on the national swimming team for the Paris Olympics include Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Woo-min, Lee Ju-ho, Lee Eun-ji, Choi Dong-yeol and Kim Min-seop.
What’s next:
- The first torch lighting ceremony will commence in the sanctuary of Olympia in Greece on April 16, 2024.
- The 2024 Paris Olympics will kick off on July 26 and end on Aug. 11.
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