Ji Yu-chan clinched South Korea's first swimming gold medal of the 2022 Asian Games Monday evening.

At the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou, Ji won a surprise gold in the men's 50-meter freestyle, setting an Asian Games record time of 21-point-72 seconds and shaving point-45 seconds off his previous personal best of 22-point-17 seconds.

He outpaced Hong Kong's Ho Ian Yentou by point-15 seconds with Pan Zhanle of China finishing third at 21-point-92 seconds.

Ji is now the first South Korean to win a gold medal in the men's 50-meter freestyle race in 21 years, after Kim Min-seok achieved the feat in 2002.