South Korean swimming prodigy Kim Woo-min (23, Gangwon Provincial Office) is one of the strong medal favorites in the men’s 400-meter freestyle at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Many in the swimming world say that Kim is the kind of swimmer who would not be surprised to win an Olympic gold medal.
That’s because he’s gotten to this point at such a rapid pace, fueled by his nerves of steel, that it’s hard to see how he could ever stop improving.
Kim’s coach, Michael Perperry (AUS), has been instrumental in helping him develop his fitness to the point where he can compete with the best in the world.
Kim was one of the athletes who benefited the most from the Korean Swimming Federation’s management team’s training camp in Australia.
Coach Perperry demanded an intense workload from his swimmers during the Korean management team’s tour of Australia earlier this year, and Kim was one of the best at doing the homework he gave them.
Kim won gold in the men’s 400-meter freestyle at the Doha World Aquatics Championships in February, making him a strong medal contender for the Paris Games.
The meeting between Kim and Perperry took place at the La Défense swimming pool in Paris, which will host the management events of the Paris Olympics.
Perperry, who is coaching the Australian national team, met up with Kim while she was training.
Coach Perperry told the Korean media, “We worked with a coach in Australia to check Kim’s training program in Korea. I’ve been able to see his progress over the last six months. I’m looking forward to seeing how fast he 토토사이트 can cut the ice in Paris.”
Kim Woo-min will compete in the men’s 400m freestyle on Sunday, a highly competitive event with no easy winner.
Kim’s time of 3:42.42 is the fastest in the 400-meter freestyle this year and ranks fourth behind Lukas Martens (GER – 3:40.33), Elijah Winnington (AUS – 3:41.41) and Samuel Short (AUS – 3:41.64).
His time of 3:42.42 was less than a second off the South Korean record held by Tae Hwan Park (3:41.53).
“Lucas, Winnington, Short, and Woo Min Kim are all very fast,” said Coach Pulperi. It’s a very close race in training. Woo Min Kim could be in the medals,” he said.
“He has to stay out of contention for the first 200 meters and hold his position. Then he has to fight hard. Especially the last 100 meters will be key. Kim Woo-min is really strong and well-prepared,” he said, predicting how the men’s 400-meter freestyle will look in Paris.
Woo Min Kim, a swimmer that Pulperi has lovingly coached, has come a long way and is now a threat to his home countrymen Winnington and Short.
When asked who he’s rooting for, Pulperi doesn’t give an immediate answer, saying, “I want to see the sport of swimming evolve, and I want to see new records and world records set all the time.”
“I would be very proud to see Kim, Winnington and Short on the podium side by side,” he said. That would be the best case scenario,” he said, adding, ”As an Australian coach, I enjoy coaching Australian athletes, but I also really enjoy coaching Kim Woo-min, and I hope he does his best and gets a good result.”
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