(Asiad) Back in water, veteran swimmer wants more out of self

South Korean swimmer An Se-hyeon, who was once afraid of water, returned to the Asian Games in Tokyo with two bronze medals. This marks her second appearance at the Asian Games since 2018, where she also finished third with her team. An's return to the water has reignited her determination to achieve more, particularly in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Despite not quite reaching her target time of 25 seconds in the 50m butterfly, An expressed her desire to secure this time in future competitions. She acknowledged that this event served as a turning point in her career, helping her visualize her future aspirations.

An's return to the Asian Games also provided an opportunity to reconnect with her rivals and former competitors, including Zhang Yufei from China and Rikako Ikee from Japan. After the medal ceremony, An received a gold mascot from Zhang, who offered to trade it for her bronze one, as she already possessed numerous gold mascots.

An also reconnected with her former coach, Michael Bohl, who currently leads the dominant Chinese team. He expressed his happiness to see her back in the pool and acknowledged that An missed him dearly. Despite falling short of her 25-second goal in the 50m butterfly, An remains resilient and focused on her future goals, vowing to push herself harder in the upcoming competitions.