(Asiad) Freestyle swimmer feels extra motivated after failing to defend title

TOKYO, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- Ji Yu-chan, a freestyle swimmer, was aiming to secure back-to-back Asian Games gold medals in the men's 50-meter freestyle race on Monday. Unfortunately, he had to settle for a bronze medal with a time of 21.94 seconds. Korean swimmer Kim Young-beom claimed the gold with a new Asian record of 21.66 seconds, while Ho Ian Yentou of Hong Kong took silver in 21.76 seconds.

Ji expressed his satisfaction with the result, stating that despite not achieving his goal, he was still happy with the outcome. He acknowledged Kim's victory and expressed that hearing the national anthem was meaningful to him. Ji emphasized that chasing a milestone like winning consecutive medals motivated him. He aims to secure another medal at the next Asian Games, noting that it has been some time since he swam under 22 seconds.

Ji previously won the 2023 title in a Games record time of 21.72 seconds. Kim broke that record by 0.01 second in the heats before improving it further to 21.66 in the final. Ji mentioned that he hoped Kim would win the gold if it wasn't going to be him, as he looked impressive in the race. Ji was content with sharing the podium with Kim and is delighted with the result.