Kim Woo-min withdraws from two races due to injuries

After battling through a shoulder injury in his first two races at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, swimmer Kim Woo-min withdrew from his next two races on Wednesday.

The Korea Swimming Federation said Kim will not defend his gold medal in the men's 800-meter freestyle event, scheduled for Thursday at Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Earlier Wednesday, Kim also pulled out of the men's 200-meter freestyle heats.

After finishing in last place in the 1,500-meter freestyle final Tuesday in Tokyo, Kim disclosed that he had been competing with a partially torn labrum and rotator cuff in his left shoulder. He had helped Korea win bronze in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay on Monday.

Kim has been Korea's top mid-distance swimmer. The 25-year-old won the world title and the Olympic bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle in 2024, and added a world bronze medal in that same distance in 2025.

At the 2023 Asian Games, Kim was the only Korean swimmer to win three gold medals — winning the 400-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle and 4x200-meter freestyle relay titles.

After Tuesday's race, Kim said he hoped to compete at least in the 400-meter freestyle, his main event, scheduled for Friday.

Yonhap