[National Sports Festival] Kim Woo-min, who played despite food poisoning, gave up MVP for the sake of the team
[National Sports Festival] Kim Woo-min, who played despite food poisoning, gave up MVP for the sake of the team
“Good experience… Only good things will unfold from now on”
Full-scale preparations for the selection competition in November, the World Championships in February next year, and the Paris Olympics in July.
Kim Woo-min (22, Gangwon Provincial Office), a freestyle middle and long distance swimmer, suffered from severe abdominal pain, fever, and body aches on the 12th, the day before the opening ceremony of the 104th Jeonnam National Sports Festival (National Sports Festival).
While eating with his teammates Hwang Sun-woo and Choi Dong-yeol, he showed symptoms of food poisoning due to eating the wrong food. 온라인카지노사이트
Kim Woo-min was unable to even lead a normal daily life, let alone train.
Kim Woo-min also seriously considered giving up his participation in the competition.
Coincidentally, his first event was the 1,500m freestyle, the longest distance event in indoor swimming.
It was impossible to complete the 1,500m freestyle race through water in about 15 minutes.
However, Kim Woo-min insisted on participating in the competition on the 14th and won the gold medal with a time of 15 minutes, 15.75 seconds.
It was his best performance in the worst possible condition.
After finishing the game, Kim Woo-min did not look good.
He couldn't even smile at the press conference.
“He had symptoms of high fever,” he said.
“It was very difficult for him to play.”
Due to overexertion, Kim Woo-min's weight decreased significantly.
Teammate Hwang Seon-woo said, “Woo Min-i (middle and long-distance runner) worked hard.”
The next day, Kim Woo-min ran again.
On the 15th, he participated in the men's 800m relay with Hwang Sun-woo, Yeon Hee-yoon, and Yang Jae-hoon and won a gold medal together.
Kim Woo-min, who rested on the 16th and regained his physical condition, went ahead and competed in two events, including the 400m freestyle and 400m relay, on the 17th and added two gold medals.
It was the first time in the general division across all events in this competition that four gold medals were won.
Kim Woo-min, who overcame his worst physical condition to win four gold medals, was mentioned as a candidate for the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) of this tournament.
If he won the gold medal in the 400m medley relay, the last event he participated in this competition, he would have achieved five gold medals and could compete with his teammate Hwang Sun-woo for his first MVP award in his career.
However, Kim Woo-min gave up participating in the 400m medley relay.
The medley relay is a team event in which four swimmers compete one by one in the order of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.
In the freestyle, sprinter Hwang Seon-woo is in charge, while Kim Woo-min is in charge of the backstroke section.
Kim Woo-min gave up the opportunity to win an additional gold medal, saying, “(teammate) Song Im-gyu’s backstroke record is better.”
Kim Woo-min, who announced at the beginning of the competition that he had set his goal of winning 5 gold medals, achieved 5 gold medals and the MVP award for his team.
He said he would instead root for MVP contender Hwang Sun-woo.
Kim Woo-min seemed relieved.
He said, “I gained a lot from this competition,” and “I think I gained great experience.”
He continued with a smile, saying, “I won’t make mistakes in taking care of my body next time,” and “I feel like I’ve grown even more.”
Kim Woo-min, who won three gold medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games by sweeping the men's 800m relay, 800m freestyle, and 400m freestyle, will now begin preparations for the national team selection event to be held in November and the Doha World Championships in February next year.
The selection competition and world championships are a bridgehead for the 2024 Paris Olympics to be held in July next year.
Kim Woo-min said, “I experienced something bad in this competition, so I think only good things will happen now,” and “I’m looking forward to what will happen in the future.”
