Tokyo:Lee Ju-ho claimed a silver medal in the men's 200-meter backstroke at the Asian Games, marking his second consecutive medal in this event.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee finished the race at Tokyo Aquatics Centre with a time of 156.58, just 0.16 seconds behind Japan's Kodai Nishiono, who took the gold. Xu Jiayu of China earned the bronze with a time of 156.73.

Lee was in second place at the 50-meter mark and maintained his position throughout the race. Although Xu initially led, Lee managed to surpass him in the final stretch but couldn't overcome Nishiono. This event marked Lee's third medal in Tokyo, having previously secured bronze in the men's 100m backstroke and the men's 4x100m medley relay.

Despite the achievement, Lee fell short of his personal best and national record of 155.34. With nine Asian Games medals to his name, Lee is still in pursuit of his first gold. Expressing his disappointment, Lee stated, "I did my best in the final, but I was not happy with my time. I did not come here to win silver."

At 31, Lee is focused on improving his performance for future competitions, including next year's world championships and the 2028 Olympics. He aims to return to the 155 range to enhance his chances of success. Reflecting on his aspirations, Lee added, "I really wanted to win gold here. I obviously know doing so is really difficult, but I desperately wanted the 200m gold."