Injured swimmer pulls out of 2 races
South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min walks out of the pool after competing in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, Tuesday. Yonhap
TOKYO — After battling through a shoulder injury in his first two races at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, swimmer Kim Woo-min withdrew from his next two races Wednesday.
The Korea Swimming Federation said Kim will not defend his gold medal in the men's 800-meter freestyle event, scheduled for Thursday at Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
Earlier Wednesday, Kim also pulled out of the men's 200m freestyle heats.
After finishing in last place in the 1,500m freestyle final Tuesday in Tokyo, Kim disclosed that he had been competing with a partially torn labrum and rotator cuff in his left shoulder. He had helped South Korea win bronze in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay on Monday.
Kim has been South Korea's top mid-distance swimmer. The 25-year-old won the world title and the Olympic bronze medal in the 400m freestyle in 2024, and added a world bronze medal in that same distance in 2025.
At the 2023 Asian Games, Kim was the only South Korean swimmer to win three gold medals — winning the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay titles.
After Tuesday's race, Kim said he hoped to compete at least in the 400m freestyle, his main event, scheduled for Friday.