South Korea's Open Water Swimming Team Wins Silver in Mixed Team Event at Asian Championships... Consecutive International Podium Finish

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean swimming team won a silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2026 12th Asian Open Water Swimming Championships.

On the 14th (Korean time), the Korean team finished second among 11 participating nations in the 6km mixed team final held near Jimbaran Beach in Bali, Indonesia, with a time of 57 minutes 7.9 seconds. This achievement earned South Korea a valuable silver medal.

The team, consisting of Yoon Jun-sang (Seogwipo City Hall), Lee Hae-rim (Gyeongbuk Provincial Office), Hwang Ji-yeon (Gyeongnam Sports High School), and Oh Se-beom (Bucheon City Hall), competed in the order of male-female-female-male. Following their third-place finish in the mixed team event at the 6th SanYa Asian Beach Games in April, the team secured another podium finish at this event, achieving consecutive international podium placements.

China took the gold medal, while Vietnam claimed the bronze. China recorded a time of 56 minutes 42.3 seconds, and Vietnam finished with 57 minutes 31.7 seconds.

Open water swimming is a long-distance swimming competition held in natural environments such as rivers, lakes, and seas. This championship featured a total of five gold medals, including individual 5km and 10km events for men and women, and a mixed team event of 6km (1500m × 4), where two men and two women swim consecutively.

Kim In-gyun, head coach of the Korean team (Gyeongbuk Provincial Office), encouraged the athletes through the Korea Swimming Federation: "Compared to other nations, we lack experience, training days, and support staff such as trainers. Nevertheless, achieving consecutive results after the SanYa Games shows that all four athletes possess strong will and determination."

He continued, "We faced a difficult race in high waves we had never experienced before. Ultimately, this is another challenge we must overcome through training." He added, "After returning home, we plan to continue training in the East Sea, which has conditions similar to this championship, during the upcoming strengthening training."

Oh Se-beom, who swam the final leg and finished the race, said, "I definitely gained more confidence since the SanYa Games. As we accumulate experience, we develop know-how in areas such as energy distribution, wave reading, and securing a view to check buoys." He added, "Moving forward, I will do my best until the 2028 LA Olympics, always thinking that I grow with every competition."

Yoon Jun-sang, who started his open water swimming journey this year as the first swimmer, explained, "Although my ranking in the 5km individual event held the day before was disappointing, the practice of riding waves and monitoring opponents allowed me to finish ahead of the Vietnamese athletes I had to compete against during the SanYa Games in this team event."

Lee Hae-rim commented, "It was thanks to all four of us fulfilling our respective roles." She added, "Since the first swimmer passed the second position to me, I thought, 'I just need to do well,' and I pushed even harder."

Hwang Ji-yeon, a high school senior who joined the team midway, said, "I am grateful not only to Coach Kim In-gyun but also to my parents who continued to support me during this critical time as a college entrance exam candidate. I also thank Mr. Kim Dong-wook and the teachers at Gyeongnam Sports High School for helping me focus on training before joining the national team."

She further added, "I hope the positive energy from my silver medal reaches my older brother, Hwang Jung-yoon, who is working hard as a member of the water polo national team to achieve the first Asian Games medal for the team in 37 years."

During the mixed team event medal ceremony, Jung Chang-hoon, President of the Korea Swimming Federation and an executive committee member of the Asian Swimming Confederation who was overseeing the event on-site, personally presented the medals to the team, adding significance to the moment.

Appointed as an executive committee member of the Asian Swimming Confederation in April 2023, Jeong (Chairman) participated as a medal presenter at this championship. He also held meetings with representatives from participating countries such as India, Vietnam, and Indonesia, discussing the selection of host cities for future events organized by the Asian Swimming Confederation, while engaging in sports diplomacy activities aimed at strengthening South Korea's international competitiveness in swimming.

Jeong (Chairman) stated, "The athletes did their best despite the adverse conditions of high waves, which is commendable." He added, "As the athletes' skills improve, we will do our best in various ways to support them more solidly through sports diplomacy as well."

Meanwhile, in the 5km individual event held on the 13th, Oh Se-beom finished 8th out of 34 participants in the men's category with a time of 57 minutes 19.0 seconds, and Yoon Jun-sang placed 13th with 58 minutes 13.0 seconds. In the women's category, Hwang Ji-yeon finished 7th out of 26 participants with a time of 1 hour 4 minutes 10.8 seconds, and Lee Hae-rim placed 9th with 1 hour 4 minutes 34.3 seconds.

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*This content was translated by AI.