Swimming's 'golden generation' Kim Woo-min, Hwang Sun-woo set sights on multiple golds

Kim, competing in six events, takes on 1500m freestyle Tuesday; Hwang eyes back-to-back 200m freestyle title Wednesday

Kim Woo-min of South Korea moves through the Tokyo Aquatics Centre during a training session Saturday, a day before the swimming competition at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games begins. [Yonhap]

South Korean swimming's "golden generation" — Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo, both of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province team — are launching their bid for multiple gold medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Their campaign got off to a disappointing start in the team event. Kim and Hwang joined Kim Jun-woo and Lee Ho-jun in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final Monday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, clocking 7 minutes 06.76 seconds to take bronze.

South Korea had won the event's first-ever gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with an Asian record of 7:01.73 and was chasing back-to-back titles, but was edged out by China and Japan. China topped the podium with a new Asian record of 7:00.17, while Japan took silver in 7:01.05.

With the relay disappointment behind them, both swimmers now turn their attention to individual events and a full-scale pursuit of gold.

First up is Kim — nicknamed "the Iron Man" — who competes in the men's 1500m freestyle Tuesday. At Hangzhou, Kim clocked 15:01.07 to take silver behind China's Fei Liwei. He is now chasing a consecutive Asian Games medal and the event's first gold for South Korea.

Kim's schedule at these Games is nothing short of grueling. He is entered in six events: the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, plus the 4x400m and 4x200m freestyle relays — the most of any South Korean swimmer in the pool program.

After the 4x200m relay, Kim races the 1500m freestyle Tuesday, the 200m freestyle Wednesday, the 800m freestyle and 4x400m relay Thursday, and closes out with his signature 400m freestyle Friday, the final day of competition.

These Games also give Kim a chance to match the legacy of South Korean swimming legend Park Tae-hwan. Kim swept the 400m and 800m freestyle and the 4x200m relay in Hangzhou to claim a triple crown. If he repeats that feat, he would become the first South Korean swimmer since Park to win three gold medals at consecutive Asian Games. Park achieved the triple crown at both the 2006 Doha and 2010 Guangzhou Games.

The 400m freestyle is Kim's signature event. He won gold in Hangzhou and added bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At these Games, the 400m freestyle serves as his final race Friday.

Hwang Sun-woo of South Korea warms up before the men's 100m freestyle heats at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre Sunday. [Yonhap]

Hwang is also building toward a multi-gold haul. He took bronze in the men's 100m freestyle final Sunday with a time of 47.79 seconds. World record holder Pan Zhanle of China claimed gold in 47.61, while Kim Young-beom — who won the men's 50m freestyle the following day — took silver in 47.65.

The 47.79 carried personal significance for Hwang. It marked his return to sub-48-second territory at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre for the first time in five years, since he set an Asian record of 47.56 at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics at the same venue. He then added a relay bronze Monday alongside Kim and the rest of the 4x200m team, giving him two bronze medals at these Games so far.

Hwang's real test, however, comes Wednesday in the men's 200m freestyle. The defending Hangzhou champion is chasing back-to-back titles in the event. At last year's National Sports Festival, he set an Asian record of 1:43.92, becoming the first South Korean swimmer to break the 1:44 barrier in the 200m freestyle.

The venue adds another layer of meaning. The Tokyo Aquatics Centre is where a teenage Hwang announced himself to the world at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. His sub-48-second swim in the 100m freestyle here has only reinforced those good memories.

Wednesday's 200m freestyle will see Kim and Hwang line up side by side. Kim, who ranges from middle to long distances, and Hwang, South Korea's standard-bearer in the 200m freestyle, will chase medals together in the same event.

Hwang also has a chance to make amends in the team events. After finishing third in the 4x200m relay behind China and Japan, South Korea will compete again for a medal in the 4x400m freestyle relay Thursday.

Kim and Hwang were the driving forces behind South Korean swimming's renaissance in Hangzhou.

Kim swept the 400m and 800m freestyle and the 4x200m relay for a triple crown, adding silver in the 1500m freestyle. Hwang was even more prolific, collecting six medals in all — two golds, two silvers and two bronzes — including victories in the 200m freestyle and the 4x200m relay.

The two swimmers who sparked South Korean swimming's golden era in Hangzhou are ready to cut through the water in Tokyo again in pursuit of gold.

yjc@heraldcorp.com