What did Kim Young-beom achieve in the men’s 50-meter freestyle at the Asian Games in Tokyo?

Kim Young-beom won his first Asian Games gold medal in the men’s 50-meter freestyle at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. He finished in an Asian record 21.66 seconds after already setting a record in the heats earlier in the day.

Why did Kim Young-beom say his 100m freestyle loss helped him win gold the next day?

Kim said he was upset by how he handled the final stretch in the 100m freestyle, where he lost to Pan Zhanle by 0.04 second. He said he kept replaying the race in his mind and used that frustration as fuel for the 50m freestyle.

What did Kim Young-beom say about his goals after winning Asian Games gold?

Kim said he would celebrate only briefly and then return to chasing his dreams and goals. He added that there is no guarantee he will win another gold medal when he wakes up the next day.

Asian Games Swimming champion determined to keep pursuing bigger goals

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Summary

Kim Young-beom won the men’s 50-meter freestyle gold medal in Tokyo on Monday, setting an Asian record of 21.66 seconds. The 20-year-old said he still could not believe the victory after also taking silver in the 100m freestyle on Sunday. He said the previous day’s disappointment helped fuel his title run and that he will keep chasing bigger goals.

Key Facts

Kim Young-beom set an Asian record of 21.66 seconds in the men’s 50-meter freestyle final at Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
He had already set an Asian record of 21.71 seconds in the heats earlier Monday.
Kim won silver in the men’s 100m freestyle on Sunday, finishing 0.04 second behind China’s Pan Zhanle.
Kim said he watched the 100m race repeatedly on Monday morning and used that disappointment as motivation.
The 20-year-old said he still has more he wants to accomplish after winning the gold medal.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 21, 2026 8:14 pm KST

South Korea's Kim Young-beom celebrates after breaking a new Asian Games record, while competing in a heat of the men's 50-meter freestyle swimming event during the 2026 Asian Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, Monday. AFP-Yonhap

TOKYO — Throughout his nine-minute interview after winning his first Asian Games gold medal on Monday, swimmer Kim Young-beom, the men's 50-meter freestyle champion, kept touching and cradling the prize around his neck, so incredulous was he that he had captured it.

"Man, this thing is so heavy. I might get a neck spasm," Kim cracked. "I thought it would hit me once I put it around my neck. I still can't believe this gold medal is mine. They played our national anthem in such a big arena just to congratulate me. It was an incredible feeling. I didn't believe I had won this race even when I saw my name on the board right afterward."

Kim's title-winning race at Tokyo Aquatics Centre also bordered on disbelief. He established an Asian record of 21.66 seconds, only hours after he had set one in the heats with 21.71 seconds.

Rare is a swimmer who breaks a record in the heats, since athletes often save their best for the finals scheduled for later in the day. Even rarer is a swimmer who breaks his own record within the same day.

"Ahead of the final, I just wanted to swim the same way I did in the morning. I basically wanted to copy and paste it. I didn't care if I was going to have another record or not," Kim said. "Even my coaches said I should race exactly like I did in the heats and not push too hard for a record."

This was Kim's second medal in two days here. On Sunday, he began his competition with silver in the 100m freestyle, finishing just 0.04 second behind the champion, Pan Zhanle of China, at 47.65 seconds.

Kim said after Sunday's race that he was upset about the way he had managed the final stretch, as he allowed Pan to pass him.

Kim said Monday he had successfully used his performance from the previous day as his fuel.

"If I had not performed that poorly yesterday, then I would not have won this gold medal today," Kim said. "I watched that 100m race over and over again this morning. I kept beating myself up for what I missed, and I reminded myself that no race is ever over until it is over."

Kim said he never consciously tried to break records, knowing that type of mindset would only have an adverse effect.

"All I wanted to do was to swim my race, and I knew records would follow," Kim added.

The 20-year-old joked he will put his gold medal in his pillow case and literally sleep on it Monday night, but his celebration will not last beyond this first night.

"I still have so much more that I want to accomplish," he said. "When I wake up tomorrow, there is no guarantee I will win another gold medal. I will just enjoy this today, and I will go back to chasing my dreams and goals tomorrow."

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