The year he turned 15, he competed at the Athens Olympics as the youngest member of the Korean team but was disqualified in the 400 m freestyle heats for a false start.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 17, he won the 400 m freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships in Canada in August in an Asian record time, and the 1,500 m the next day. In December, he won the 200 m, 400 m and 1,500 m freestyle at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, the first Korean swimmer to win three golds at the Asian Games since Choi Yun-hui in 1982.
In 2007, in Melbourne, he won the 400 m freestyle at the World Championships in an Asian record time, the first World Championships gold for a Korean swimmer, and added bronze in the 200 m. In February 2008, he entered Dankook University’s physical education department. In August, he won the 400 m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics, Korean swimming’s first Olympic gold, and added silver in the 200 m.
In 2009, he missed the final in the 400 m, 200 m and 1,500 m freestyle at the World Championships in Rome and finished without a medal. In 2010, he won the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m freestyle at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, for a second straight three-gold meet. In 2011, he won the 400 m freestyle at the World Championships in Shanghai for his second World Championships gold.
In 2012, he was disqualified in the London Olympics 400 m freestyle heats for a false start, but the ruling was reversed five hours before the final, and he won silver. He added silver in the 200 m, his second straight Olympic silver in the event.
The year he turned 26, FINA confirmed an 18-month suspension in March after a banned substance was found in a doping test the previous September. His medals from the Incheon Asian Games were forfeited. In July 2016, the Court of Arbitration for Sport found the national team selection rule to be double punishment and ruled him eligible for the Rio Olympics. In August, he failed to get through the heats in any event he swam at the Games, and in December he won the 400 m, 200 m and 1,500 m freestyle at the Short Course World Championships in Canada for three golds.
In 2019, he joined the variety show The Gentlemen’s League. In 2023, he presented scholarships to a young swimmer together with Park Ji-sung, chairman of the JS Foundation. In 2024, he worked as an SBS swimming commentator at the Paris Olympics.
In 2025, he appeared on the KBS2 variety show Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant. In 2026, he appeared as a guest on MBC’s Oh Eun-young’s Report: Marriage Hell.
Park Tae-hwan (born Sep 27, 1989) debuted on Aug 14, 2004, the year he turned 15, at the Athens Olympics, and became known when he won the 400 m freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2006, the year he turned 17. In 2008, the year he turned 19, he won Korean swimming’s first Olympic gold at the Beijing Olympics.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Competed at the Olympics as the youngest member of the Korean team but was disqualified in the 400 m freestyle heats for a false start.
Source 01 · Busan Ilbo (Korean) · Athens Olympics event-by-event check · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Athens Olympics disqualification · opens in a new tabWon the 400 m freestyle at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Victoria, Canada, in 3:45.72, an Asian record. His 200 m silver two days earlier was Korea’s first medal at a long-course (50 m) world-level meet, and he won the 1,500 m the next day for two golds at the meet.
Won the 200 m (Dec. 4), 400 m (Dec. 6) and 1,500 m (Dec. 8) freestyle at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, and was named the meet’s most valuable player. No Korean swimmer had won three golds at the Asian Games since Choi Yun-hui in 1982, and the result earned him a military-service exemption.
Source 06 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Doha Asian Games 400 m gold · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Doha Asian Games triple, first in 24 years · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 24 military-service exemptions after the Beijing Olympics · opens in a new tabSource 05 · YTN (Korean) · Who is Park Tae-hwan · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Newsis (Korean) · First Worlds 400 m freestyle gold · opens in a new tabWon the 400 m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, in 3:44.30, an Asian record. It was the first World Championships gold for a Korean swimmer.
Source 09 · Newsis (Korean) · First Worlds 400 m freestyle gold · opens in a new tabWon bronze in the 200 m freestyle at the same meet in 1:46.73, another Asian record.
Source 10 · Nocut News (Korean) · Worlds 200 m bronze · opens in a new tabAttended the entrance ceremony for the physical education department of Dankook University’s College of Education.
Source 11 · Nocut News (Korean) · Dankook University entrance ceremony · opens in a new tabWon the 400 m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics in 3:41.86, Korean swimming’s first Olympic gold.
Source 12 · Newsis (Korean) · Beijing Olympics 400 m freestyle gold · opens in a new tabSource 13 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Beijing Olympic gold, first for Korean swimming in 44 years · opens in a new tabWon silver in the 200 m freestyle at the same Games in 1:44.85, an Asian record.
Source 14 · Newsis (Korean) · Beijing Olympics 200 m freestyle silver · opens in a new tabAt the World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy, he missed the final in the 400 m, 200 m and 1,500 m freestyle and finished without a medal.
Source 15 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Rome World Championships roundup · opens in a new tabWon the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m freestyle at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, for a second straight three-gold meet after Doha. He set his 400 m Korean record of 3:41.53 there.
Source 16 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Guangzhou Asian Games 100 m gold · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Rio Olympics 400 m heat exit · opens in a new tabWon the 400 m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, China, in 3:42.04, his second World Championships gold after 2007. It followed his poor showing in Rome in 2009.
Source 18 · Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · Shanghai World Championships 400 m gold · opens in a new tabHe was disqualified in the 400 m freestyle heats of the London Olympics for a false start, but the ruling was reversed after a video review five hours before the final. He swam the final and won silver in 3:42.06.
Source 19 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · London Olympics 400 m disqualification overturned, silver · opens in a new tabSource 20 · MyDaily (Korean) · How the London Olympics 400 m ruling was reversed · opens in a new tabSource 21 · Newsis (Korean) · London Olympics 400 m final silver · opens in a new tabWon silver in the 200 m freestyle, shared with Sun Yang of China, his second straight Olympic silver in the event after 2008.
Source 22 · Newsis (Korean) · London Olympics 200 m silver · opens in a new tabFINA announced an 18-month suspension after the banned substance testosterone was found in a doping test on Sept. 3, 2014. The ban was backdated to the test date, and one silver and five bronze medals from that September’s Incheon Asian Games were forfeited. His Korean record for most career Asian Games medals (20), set with those medals, was also erased.
Source 23 · Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · FINA confirms 18-month suspension · opens in a new tabThe Court of Arbitration for Sport found that the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee’s rule barring doping offenders from the national team for three years was double punishment, and ruled him eligible for the Rio Olympics team.
Source 24 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · CAS rules him eligible for the Rio Olympics · opens in a new tabSource 25 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · CAS on double punishment · opens in a new tabIn his fourth straight Olympics, he failed to get through the heats in the 400 m freestyle (10th overall), 200 m and 100 m, and withdrew from the 1,500 m.
Source 17 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Rio Olympics 400 m heat exit · opens in a new tabSource 26 · Nocut News (Korean) · Rio Olympics 200 m heat exit · opens in a new tabSource 27 · Edaily (Korean) · Considering withdrawing from the Rio Olympics 1,500 m · opens in a new tabSource 35 · Newsis (Korean) · Withdraws from the Rio Olympics 1,500 m freestyle · opens in a new tabWon the 400 m (Dec. 7), 200 m and 1,500 m (Dec. 12) freestyle at the Short Course (25 m) World Championships in Windsor, Canada, for three golds. It was the first gold at the meet for a Korean swimmer.
Source 28 · Newsis (Korean) · Short Course Worlds, into the final · opens in a new tabSource 29 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Short Course Worlds, three golds with the 1,500 m · opens in a new tabJoined the team Eojjeoda FC on the variety show The Gentlemen’s League.
Source 30 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · The Gentlemen’s League welcomes Park Tae-hwan · opens in a new tabPresented support funds to a World Junior Swimming Championships silver medalist together with Park Ji-sung, chairman of the JS Foundation.
Source 31 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · JS Foundation scholarships · opens in a new tabWorked as a swimming commentator for SBS at the Paris Olympics.
Source 32 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · SBS commentator at the Paris Olympics · opens in a new tabSource 33 · Xportsnews (Korean) · Appears on Fun-Staurant · opens in a new tabAppeared on the variety show Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant.
Source 33 · Xportsnews (Korean) · Appears on Fun-Staurant · opens in a new tabAppeared as a guest on Oh Eun-young’s Report: Marriage Hell for two straight weeks.
Source 34 · TV Report (Korean) · Appears on Marriage Hell · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2004–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
Sep 27, 1989 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1989: the year of the event minus 1989, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.