Korea's Kim Woomin Logs 3:45.54 400 Free To Claim #2 Slot In World Rankings

03/28/2025 10:08 AM

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2025 KOREAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Sunday, March 23rd – Friday, March 28th
• Gimcheon, South Korea
• LCM (50m)
• Recap #1/Recap #2/Recap #3/Recap #4
• Results

The 2025 Korean Swimming Championships wrapped up tonight from Gimcheon but not before two new names were added to the provisional roster for this summer’s World Championships in Singapore.

Racing in the men’s 400m freestyle, reigning Olympic bronze medalist Kim Woomin produced a time of 3:45.54 to take the gold.

The next-closest swimmer was Lee Hojun who touched in 3:49.37 as the only other sub-3:50 performer in the race.

23-year-old Kim’s result dipped under the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard of 3:48.15 and now ranks him #2 in the world this season. His lifetime best remains at the 3:42.42 notched at the 2024 Mare Nostrom Tour stop in Monaco.

The other Singapore qualifier came in the men’s 400m IM, with Kim Minseop accomplishing his mission in a gold medal-worthy outing of 4:15.73.

Kim, who turned 20 years of age just days ago, led Kim Minseok who earned silver in 4:17.60, painstakingly shy of the World Championships ‘A’ cut of 4:17.60.

As for winner Kim, his time was a hair outside his career-best result of 4:15.62 logged last year at the Barcelona stop of the Mare Nostrum Tour. He continues to creep up on the longstanding national record of 4:15.27 Kim Mingyu put on the books in 2009.

Kim Youngbeomwas also in the water tonight, contesting the men’s 100m fly event.

After registering a top-seeded performance of 51.77 to match the ‘A’ cut, 19-year-old Kim added slightly to check in with a podium-topping effort of 51.83.

His prelims performance, however, should render him qualified for the event for Singapore, given the teen already made the roster in the 100m free earlier in the competition.

With the official roster yet to be announced, there were 12 athletes who earned times within the World Aquatics ‘A’ standards.

South Korean World Championships Qualifiers Through Day 6

• Lee Eun-ji – women's 200m back
• Lee Ju-ho – men's 200m back, 100m back
• Choi Dongyeol – men's 100m breast
• Kim Youngbeom – men's 100m free, 100m fly
• Kim Seung-won – women's 100m back, 50m back
• Yoon Ji-hwan – men's 50m back
• Park Si-eun – women's 200m breast
• Hwang Sunwoo – men's 200m free
• Kim Woomin – men’s 400m free
• Kim Minseop – men’s 400m IM
• Cho Sungjae – men’s 200m breast

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