[Source] This article was published on Chosun Dot Com.

Kim, Se-jin was born with aplasia which is congenital absence of limbs.  His right leg ends at the knee and he does not have a left foot.  He uses an artificial leg made of titanium in his everyday life.  He also only has a thumb and ring finger on his right hand.  Despite these physical limitations, Kim has taken on the challenge of getting qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Kim’s goal is to compete in the Olympics and not the Paralympics.  He is trying out for is the 10km swimming event.  He is currently preparing for a 10km swimming competition in Portugal which will be held by the Fédération internationale de natation (FINA) in June.  If he places in the top nine, he will qualify for the Olympics.

Kim has participated in three 10km international swimming competitions and completed them all.  In September of 2013, he set a record of 1 hour, 50 minutes, and 27 seconds in the 10km race that took place at the Hudson River in New York.  At the competition, he was ranked 21st out of the 280 participants and first among those under 18.  Kim’s coach, No, Ming Sang said, “It is hard to be certain if Se-jin will qualify for the Olympics since the 10km swimming record fluctuates quite a bit depending on whether it is in a river or at sea.  However, Se-jin has a strong will which improves his chances.”

Kim distinguished himself by winning three gold medals at the 2009 Disability Sports Events (DSE) National Junior Championships held in Sheffield, England.  In 2013, he was admitted to Sungkyunkwan University’s School of Sport Science as the youngest student in the School’s history at age 16.  At the 2014 Asian Paragames held in Incheon, he made another outstanding achievement by winning the silver medal in the relay swimming event.  Kim said, “I identify myself more as a swimmer than as a disabled person.  I am practicing as hard as I can, and thinking that it would even be okay if my body broke as long as I qualify for the Olympics.”

Kim started swimming at the age of nine as a form of rehabilitation treatment.  Kim has said, “I always prayed for legs when I was young, but the swimming pool was the best playground where I could move freely without an artificial leg.”  He has had to endure ignorant glares from other pool users that thought there may have been germs in the water because of him.  Kim’s mother, Yang, Jung Sook, recalled, “I asked for understanding from people responsible for wiping the floor near the swimming pool every day when Se-jin was taking lessons.”

Kim said, “I practiced even harder when I thought about how my mom had to lower her head to other people because I liked swimming.  I want to repay her kindness.  She taught me to fight my disability by setting records as good as people without disabilities.”