Nagoya: South Korea's first medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games was earned in road cycling on Sunday, as Shin Ji-eun claimed the bronze medal in the women's individual time trial event.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Shin Ji-eun completed the event with a time of 36:56.14 at the Shinshiro Cycling Road Course, located around 60 kilometers east of Nagoya, the main host city. The gold medal went to Rinata Sultanova of Kazakhstan, who finished in 36:23.72, while the silver was secured by Zhang Hao of China with a time of 36:28.40.
The medal race began Sunday following the opening ceremony held the previous night. South Korea has set a target of approximately 45 gold medals at this year's Asian Games, which are scheduled to conclude on October 4.
During the race, Shin initially ranked fourth after completing her first lap in 12:58.31. She improved to third place after her second lap, clocking in at 11:51.39, and maintained her position with a final lap time of 12:06.44, securing her bronze medal.
Shin, 24, entered the Asian Games in strong form. Earlier this year, she achieved third place in the individual road race and fourth in the individual time trial at the Asian Road Cycling Championships in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, at the Asian Track Cycling Championships in the Philippines in March, Shin earned a bronze medal in omnium and contributed to South Korea's fourth-place finish in team pursuit.
Looking ahead at the Asian Games, Shin will transition to track events, where she will compete in madison, omnium, and team pursuit.