Tokyo Olympic men's 400m freestyle champion Amed Hafnavi of Tunisia will miss Paris 2024. This news has made many South Korean media "overjoyed", because it will increase the possibility of South Korea's Kim Woo-min winning a medal in the Paris Olympics in this event.
Hafnavi, who gave up for the Paris Olympics
On the 8th, Beijing time, the African Swimming Federation said: "Hafnavi gave up participating in the Paris Olympics. SwimSwam reported: "Hafnavi also admits that it is impossible to go to Paris. Although the exact cause has not yet been clarified, there is a lot of information that shows that Hafnavi's physical condition seems to be abnormal.
Hafnavi is a world-class player in the men's longer middle distance freestyle. He won the men's 400m freestyle final at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 in 3:43.36, and at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, he won two gold medals in the men's 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle with a time of 7:37.00 and 14:31.54, respectively. In the men's 400m freestyle at the World Championships in Fukuoka, he won a silver medal with a new African record of 3:40.70.
Kim Woo-min who competed during training in Australia
However, he was eliminated in the men's 400m freestyle heats at the 2024 World Championships in Doha in February this year with a time of 3:48.05, and the men's 800m (7:51.72) and 1500m (15:09.02) freestyle events did not reach the finals.
Kim Woo-min took the lead in the men's 400-meter freestyle final at the 2024 World Championships in Doha with a time of 3:42.71 and won the championship. Looking ahead to Paris, Kim is aiming for a podium finish in the 400m freestyle, and with Hafnavi's decision not to compete in Paris, the former is missing a competitor.
Germany's Martens
South Korean media believe that the men's 400m freestyle medal competition at the Paris Olympics will revolve around Lucas Martens (Germany), Eliza Wennington, Samuel Short (all Australia) and Kim Woo-min. This year's world best was Martens swam 3:40.33, followed by Winnington (3:41.41) and Schott (3:41.64). Kim Woo-min ranked fourth in the men's 400m freestyle this season with a time of 3:42.71.