Impressive career progression culminates in 1st Olympic medal for swimmer Kim Woo-min

They say development is not always linear for athletes, but South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min, who won the bronze medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, may beg to differ.

Consider his record progression over the past two years. He finished sixth at the 2022 world championships in 3:45.64 and then improved to fifth place at the 2023 worlds with a time of 3:43.92.

Kim captured his first world title this February in 3:42.71. About four months later, Kim set a new personal best with 3:42.42 to win an Olympic tuneup event.

Kim did not match that time Saturday, but swimmers often say the Olympic Games are more about placements than records. And Kim took care of exactly that, grabbing his first Olympic medal with a time of 3:42.50.

Lukas Maertens of Germany led wire-to-wire to win the gold in 3:41.78, and Australian Elijah Winnington grabbed the silver in 3:42.21.

Kim, 22, almost didn't even have a chance to compete for a medal Saturday, after narrowly avoiding a stunning elimination in the heats.

In the heats, Kim had the fastest reaction time in his group and led the pack after the opening 100m. He stayed in second place through the 300m mark but then slowed considerably over the home stretch.

He touched the pad in 3:45.52, good for only fourth in his group and fifth overall. That was a precarious position to be in, with the top eight moving on to the final one more group of eight swimmers remaining.

Kim would have been finished if four swimmers from the last group had posted faster times than the South Korean. Kim later spoke of feeling nervous as he watched the race unfold.

In the end, only two swimmers, Maertens and Winnington, ended up with better times than Kim, who sneaked into the final as the seventh-fastest qualifier.

Kim admitted he was surprised himself with the way he had lost so much speed late in the race. But his confidence never wavered.

"I don't think anyone can predict who's going to finish where in the final," Kim said, before adding with a smile. "Maybe I can finish in first place."

And when Kim beat everyone off the blocks in the final, with a reaction time of 0.62 second, he likely turned a few people into believers.

But Maertens, who came into the Olympics owning the best 400m freestyle time this season at 3:40.33, proved too much for Kim and everyone else. Kim spent the majority of the race in second place behind Maertens and then got caught at the last moment by Winnington.

The usually stoic Kim was reduced to tears after the medal ceremony, and as much as he would have liked the gold medal, Kim still felt proud of what he had accomplished.

"This is what I've been dreaming about. It means so much to me," Kim said. "I think all the hard training I've done has been all worth it. I've taken a grueling path to come this far, and I've been rewarded for that. I am so proud of myself."

Kim made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021 but only competed as a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay team that didn't get past the heats. Few would have predicted Kim would win a medal only three years later.

"I've always dreamed about winning an Olympic medal, but even I didn't think that moment would come so soon," Kim said. "I was able to prove that hard work can pay off. That makes me feel extra proud."

Kim said he felt "sluggish" during the heats in the morning and had to sharpen his focus for the final.

"I wanted to keep pushing hard from the start and race with confidence," Kim said. "When I saw where the other guys were at the 350m mark, I felt I had a chance. My limbs were burning over the final 50m, but I gutted it out because I wanted a medal."

Kim credited his teammate Hwang Sun-woo, the reigning 200m freestyle world champion, for inspiring him to greater heights over the recent years. While Kim was toiling in relative obscurity in 2022, Hwang soared to his first world championships medal, the silver in the 200m freestyle. Hwang won the bronze in the same event at the 2023 worlds, becoming the first South Korean swimmer to medal at back-to-back world championships.

"When I saw Sun-woo do so well, it gave me confidence that I could be like him," Kim said. "I was really inspired by him."

After winning a medal on the first day of the swimming competition, Kim said he hoped his teammates, including Hwang, could feed off that performance.

"I am sure my teammates will all feel confident after seeing me win this medal," Kim said. "I hope Sun-woo does well in the 200m. We are roommates, and hopefully we'll have a chance to take photos together with a medal around our necks."

Kim said before the Olympics that his ultimate career goal is to go down as "Swimming GOAT," as in, the greatest of all time. That's a lofty target, but as someone who doesn't have a hobby outside swimming, Kim may have just the kind of singular focus necessary to achieve greatness.

Kim said he was a bit disappointed that he didn't get the ultimate prize Saturday but added: "I think this sense of regret will push me at the next competition. This is not the end. I am going to get it done in the future." (Yonhap)