How did Kim Min-seop win bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly at the Asian Games?

Kim finished third in 1:55.94 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, holding off Wang Xizhe by 0.01 second. He touched the 100m mark in second place and was still in the silver medal spot with 50m left before fading in the final stretch.

What medals had Kim Min-seop already won before the 200m butterfly final?

He had already received silver in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay for swimming in the heats. Those relay medals came before his first individual Asian Games medal.

What did Kim Min-seop say after winning bronze in Tokyo?

Kim said it was the first time he had been in the 1:55 range since the 2024 Olympics and that hearing his parents and teammates cheering made him think he had won a medal. He added that he wanted to reach the podium at next year’s world championships and at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Kim Min-seop wins bronze in men's 200m butterfly swimming

Listen

Summary

Kim Min-seop won bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Friday. He finished in 1:55.94, edging Wang Xizhe of China by 0.01 second. It was his first individual Asian Games swimming medal, and he said the result gave him a bigger target for future championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Key Facts

Wang Kuan-hung of Chinese Taipei won gold in 1:55.05, and Xu Fang of China took silver in 1:55.65.
Kim had already earned silver in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay for swimming in the heats.
Kim said his final split of 30.74 seconds was the sixth-slowest in the 10-man final.
He said he had not been in the 1:55 range since the 2024 Olympics and felt lucky to win bronze by 0.01 second.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 25, 2026 7:35 pm KST

South Korea's Kim Min-seop celebrates after winning bronze in the men's 200-meter butterfly swimming event at the Asian Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Sept. 25. Yonhap

TOKYO — Kim Min-seop won his first individual Asian Games swimming medal on Friday with his bronze in the men's 200-meter butterfly event.

Kim finished third with a time of 1:55.94 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, holding off Wang Xizhe of China by one-hundredth of a second.

Wang Kuan-hung of Chinese Taipei won the gold in 1:55.05, and Xu Fang of China was the silver medalist at 1:55.65.

Kim had earlier received silver in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay for competing in the heats.

In the butterfly final, Kim touched the 100m pad in second place and remained in the silver medal position with 50m to go.

But he slowed considerably in the home stretch, as his final split of 30.74 seconds was the sixth-slowest in the 10-man final.

"This was the first time I got into the 1:55 range since the Olympics (in 2024). And when I heard my parents and teammates screaming from the stands, I figured I had won a medal," Kim said. "Then when I saw the board, I saw No. 3 next to my name and I won bronze by 0.01 second. I felt really lucky."

Kim, 22, said the bronze medal here gave him a bigger target to shoot for going forward.

"I think my best time would have been good enough for gold here," Kim said. "I would love to reach the podium at the world championships next year and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028."

Explore More