3rd GWANGJU NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, June 12th – Sunday, June 16th
- Gwangju Nambu University Municipal International Swimming Pool
- LCM (50m)
- Results (when available)
A Korean national record went down at the hands of Kim Youngbeom on day 2 of the 3rd Gwangju National Swimming Championships.
Racing in the heats of the men’s 100m butterfly event, 18-year-old Kim stopped the clock at 51.72 to take the top seed.
That lowered the previous national standard of 51.85 Yang Jaehoon put on the books last October. Kim’s performance also undercut his own previous personal best, a time which stood at the 52.11 the then-17-year-old notched at last year’s Asian Games. There in Hangzhou, he ultimately placed 5th in 52.19.
Come tonight’s final, Kim shaved off even more time, ultimately getting to the wall in a result of 51.65 to lower his hours-old Korean record.
This 100m fly represents Kim’s first individual national record, although he’s already in the books for having helped the Korean men’s 4x100m medley relay clock a new standard of 3:32.05 en route to earning silver in Hangzhou last year.
These national swimming championships are not an Olympic qualifying event, so Kim’s time, although it dips under the World Aquatics Olympic Qualification Time of 51.67 will most likely not grant the teen a spot on the already-announced roster.
Korean swimming has rapidly evolved and jumped onto the scene with Hwang Sunwoo as their leading gentleman
His freestyle is also very good. Last year at the National Games, his split was 48.07