Kim Su-ji, Bronze Medal at the World Championships
Kim Su-ji “I was Rewarded with an Olympic Qualification and a Bronze Medal at the World Championships”
Shining bronze medal in women’s 3m diving… Winning a personal second World Championships medal
A combination of a star and a rookie... Korean diving secures 6 athletes qualification for Paris Olympics in individual events
Kim Su-ji (25, Ulsan Metropolitan City Hall) stood on the springboard with her left knee strongly taped.
Suji Kim suppressed her pain and hung her World Swimming Championships medal with a brilliant performance.
Kim Su-ji improved her skills while fighting injuries, and was rewarded with brilliant achievements such as qualification for the Paris Olympics and a bronze medal at the World Championships.
Suji Kim took third place with a total score of 311.25 points from the first to fifth periods in the women"s 3m springboard final at the 2024 World Championships Diving held at the Hamad Aquatic Center in Doha, Qatar on the 10th (Korean time).
Kim Su-ji, who became the first Korean diving world championship medalist in Gwangju in 2019, also won her second medal in Korean diving history.
As the only Korean female athlete to win a World Aquatics Championships medalist, she also earned the title of being the first Korean diving athlete to win two or more medals.
Kim Su-ji, who stood on the podium with a smile, said through the Korea Swimming Federation, "Five years ago in Gwangju, I thought I had not yet reached the international level.
I thought I was just lucky, so I was less impressed. Now, I feel like I have grown since then."
“I am happier and more satisfied with the thought that I have been rewarded for my hard work,” she said.
On this day, Su-ji Kim’s parents stood in the stands and watched their daughter perform brilliantly and receive a shining bronze medal around her neck.
Su- ji Kim said, “Thank you for coming all the way to Doha to support me.
“I am even happier because I achieved this in front of my parents,” he said with a smile.
On the 3rd, Suji Kim took 8th place in the women"s 1m springboard final with a total of 248.60 points in the 1st to 5th periods.
Su-ji Kim, who finished second in the preliminaries, made a mistake in the second period of the final that took her out of medal contention.
Su-ji Kim recalled that she "immediately forgot about her disappointment in the 1m springboard, which could have won her a medal, and focused on the 3m springboard."
Kim Soo-ji, who scored 302.10 points in her nine-day 3m springboard semifinal to break the 300-point mark for the first time, advanced to the final in a tie for third, securing a 12-person spot at the Paris Olympics.
She broke her personal best again in her final on the 10th, earning her a bronze medal at the World Championships.
Suji Kim was diagnosed with torn cartilage in her left knee in December last year.
Naturally, he felt pain during training and was emotionally distressed.
However, participating in international competitions became a good pain reliever for Kim Su-ji.
Before leaving for Doha, Kim Su-ji met said, "I still enjoy diving the most.
Participating in international competitions makes me forget the pain.
Moreover , I have a ticket to the Paris Olympics at the world championships.
“I had to adjust the amount of training, but I will go to Doha after successfully completing some technical training,” he said with a bright expression.
Kim Su-ji smiled brighter as she secured her third Olympic appearance, following London in 2012 and Tokyo in 2021, and won her second World Championships medal as an individual and for Korean diving.
Kim Su-ji"s Doha competition is not over yet.
Kim Su-ji will compete with Lee Jae-kyung (24, Incheon Metropolitan City Hall) in the mixed synchro 3m springboard final held on the afternoon of the 10th.
At last year"s Fukuoka Games, Kim Su-ji and Lee Jae-kyung placed fourth in this event.
Kim Su-ji expected, “If I finish the mixed synchronized 3m competition in Doha without making any mistakes, I think I will be able to go one step higher than last year.”
If Kim Soo-ji wins a medal in the mixed synchro 3m springboard event at this competition, she will become the second Korean athlete to win three world championship medals, following management Park Tae-hwan.
Tae-hwan Park ranked first in the 400m freestyle and third in the 200m at the 2007 Melbourne Games, and won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle in Shanghai in 2011.
Korean divers, including Kim Su-ji, were rewarded for their efforts with a "Paris Olympic qualification" at this year"s Doha competition.
Men"s 3m springboard Woo Ha-ram (25, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation) and Lee Jae-kyung, men"s 10m platform Shin Jeong-hwi (22, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation), and women"s 10m platform Kim Na-hyeon (20, Gangwon Provincial Office) qualified for the individual event at the Paris Olympics through this competition. Acquired.
A total of six people have confirmed their participation in the Paris Olympics, including Kim Young-taek (22, Jeju Provincial Government), who won a ticket to Paris in the men"s 10m platform at the Fukuoka Games last year, and Kim Su-ji in the women"s 3m springboard.
Korean diving was further encouraged by "signatures" Kim Su-ji and Woo Ha-ram, who showed an upward curve, and "new stars" Shin Jeong-hwi and Kim Na-hyeon who showed off their talents on the international stage.
Son Tae-rang, coach of the diving team, said, “We have won the largest number of individual events in the Korean diving Olympics in history,” and added, “I am grateful to the athletes who have patiently endured and worked hard all this time.”