(LEAD) (Asiad) Kim Min-seop wins bronze in men's 200m butterfly swimming

TOKYO, September 25 (Yonhap) -- Korean swimmer Kim Min-seop claimed his maiden Asian Games medal on Friday, securing a bronze in the men's 200-meter butterfly event at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. The 22-year-old finished third, clocking a time of 1:55.94, just a tenth of a second behind Wang Kuan-hung of China, who claimed gold in 1:55.05, while Xu Fang of Chinese Taipei took the silver with a time of 1:55.65.

Kim's performance in the butterfly final saw him touch the 100-meter mark in second place, but he faltered in the final stretch, posting a final split of 30.74 seconds, which was the sixth-slowest time among the 10 competitors. Despite his subpar finish, Kim expressed relief and gratitude, stating that he felt "really lucky" to have earned a medal.

Kim revealed that this bronze medal sets a new benchmark for him to aim for in future competitions. "I think my best time would have been good enough for gold here," he remarked. The swimmer aspires to achieve a podium finish at the upcoming World Championships next year and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.