[Asian Games] Teen swimmer Kim Seung-won wins bronze in women's 50m backstroke

In the women's 50-meter backstroke swimming event at the Asian Games held in Tokyo, 16-year-old swimmer Kim Seung-won secured a bronze medal. Kim finished the race in 27.72 seconds, clocking in faster than her Chinese competitors Wan Letian and Wang Xueer, who took the gold and silver medals respectively. China's Wan Letian emerged victorious, swimming the race in 27.47 seconds while Wang Xueer trailed with a time of 27.53 seconds.

Kim's performance marked her first ever medal at an Asian Games event during her inaugural appearance in the championships.

South Korea's swim team now boasts five medals from this year's Asian Games, with Kim poised to take on additional events in the upcoming days. These include the 100m backstroke, women's 4x100m medley relay, and mixed 4x100m medley relay. Kim's reaction time of 0.56 seconds was the second quickest among the 10 swimmers in the final, just 0.04 seconds slower than Wan.

Despite this close call, it was Wang who edged out Kim for the silver medal in a tight finish. Kim expressed her joy and satisfaction with her achievement, stating, "I worked so hard for the Asian Games here, and I am so pleased to win my first medal. I was just so happy to have an opportunity to show how hard I have trained for this international event. I have more races left, and I will prepare for them the best I can."