Silver medalist Kim Jun-woo: 'Proud to have kept my promise to sunbae Woo-min'

The silver medal Kim Jun-woo won in the men's 800-meter freestyle carried extra meaning for the 19-year-old from Gwangseong High School — it was a promise kept to a teammate who could not be there. Defending champion Kim Woo-min, a senior member of the national team, had withdrawn from the event due to a shoulder injury, leaving Kim Jun-woo as South Korea's sole representative in the race.

Kim Jun-woo touched the wall in 7 minutes 43.86 seconds at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Thursday during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, sharing the silver with Japan's Tabuchi Kaito. The time was more than two seconds faster than the 7:46.03 meet record Kim Woo-min set when he won gold at the Hangzhou Games three years ago.

"It feels like all the sweat and time we shared at the athletes' village was rewarded in one moment," Kim Jun-woo said after the race. "I finished the last event of my first Asian Games perfectly and got off to a great start."

Before the race, Kim Jun-woo said Kim Woo-min had told him, "Go out there and show everything you have — for both of us." "I'm even prouder because I was able to keep that promise to him," he added. He described their bond as one that transcends competition. "Inside the pool, we're rivals who give each other no quarter, but outside the water he's like a real older brother — family," Kim Jun-woo said. "I hope he completes his shoulder rehabilitation and we can compete together again on the big stage."

Kim Jun-woo said he chose to focus on his time rather than dwell on missing gold. "Falling short in the standings means there are still areas where I'm lacking," he said. "But I was focused on the clock, not the ranking, and I'm confident that 98 percent of my race was perfect."

Kim Jun-woo wrapped up his first Asian Games with a fifth-place finish in the 1,500-meter freestyle, a bronze medal in the 800-meter relay and Thursday's silver in the 800-meter individual event. Looking ahead, he said he wants to move down in distance. "I'd like to work my way down to the 400 and 200 meters and become a swimmer who excels across all events," he said.