(Olympics) Veteran swimmer left with mixed emotions after likely final Olympic race

After bowing out early in what could end up being her final Olympic event Friday, South Korean swimmer Kim Seo-yeong was left with mixed emotions. Kim, the first South Korean female swimmer to compete at four straight Olympic Games, finished 17th overall in the heats for the women's 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:12.42 at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, just west of Paris. Only the top 16 swimmers out of 34 advanced to the semifinals set for later Friday. Rebecca Meder of South Africa grabbed that 16th and final spot in 2:11.96. In this file photo from July 23, 2024, Kim Seo-yeong of South Korea trains at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France, ahead of the Paris Olympics. (Yonhap) Kim, 30, had hoped to compete in the finals in her likely Olympic swan song but didn't even make it out of the heats. "I felt my preparation for the Olympics went really well, and I posted some good times in training," Kim said. "Physically, I felt pretty good. I thought I could make something happen toda y but the race just didn't go the way I wanted. "After seeing semifinals and finals here, I was really fired up for my race," Kim added. "When I saw the times from earlier groups, I thought I might have a shot. I am disappointed with this result." Kim, who had been one of two flag bearers for South Korea at the opening ceremony, has never qualified for an Olympic final. At the 2012 London Olympics, she finished 17th in the heats for the 400m individual medley. Four years later in Rio, she only reached as far as the semifinals in the 200m individual medley and finished 12th. She matched that ranking position in 2021 in Tokyo. At the world championships, though, Kim has been in the 200m individual medley finals in 2017, 2019 and 2022, finishing sixth each time. Kim Seo-yeong of South Korea speaks to Yonhap News Agency after competing in the heats for the women's 200-meter individual medley swimming event at the Paris Olympics at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France, on Aug. 2, 2024. (Yonhap) Kim own s the national record in the 200m individual medley with 2:08.34, set while winning the 2018 Asian Games gold medal. Before Paris, Kim had reached an inflection point in her career, where she began thinking about life beyond swimming. But Kim said she fell in love with swimming again before Friday's race. "For the first time in quite a while, I felt swimming was fun. I even thought, 'What if I do so well here and I want to keep going?'" Kim said. "And with this kind of result, I am thinking whether I should really bid my farewell to swimming. It's a mixed bag of feelings now." When Kim does officially announce her retirement from international competition, she will do so knowing that South Korean swimming is in good hands. "I can feel that Korean swimming has really taken huge steps forward," Kim said. "Our young athletes are doing really well. I hope people will continue to support them." Source: Yonhap News Agency