Nagoya: South Korea's first medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games came from road cycling on Sunday, as Shin Ji-eun grabbed bronze in the women's individual time trial event. Shin finished third with a time of 36:56.14 at Shinshiro Cycling Road Course in Shinshiro, some 60 kilometers east of the main host city, Nagoya. Rinata Sultanova of Kazakhstan claimed the gold medal in 36:23.72, and Zhang Hao of China won silver in 36:28.40.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Shin expressed her confidence and gratitude after the race, stating, "I felt pretty confident because I knew I had never wasted a moment ever since I started preparing for this competition." This achievement marks Shin's first individual race at an Asian Games, making the bronze medal a significant milestone in her cycling career.
The event on Sunday was the first day of the medal race following the opening ceremony from the previous night. South Korea has set a target of around 45 gold medals at this year's Asiad, which will conclude on October 4. During the race, Shin's performance was strategic; she initially ranked fourth on her first lap with a time of 12:58.31, advanced to third after her second lap in 11:51.39, and secured the bronze by finishing her final lap in 12:06.44.
Despite her exhaustion, Shin was determined to reach the finish line and was pleasantly surprised to find herself in medal contention. At just 24, Shin came into the Asian Games in excellent form, having previously secured a third-place finish in the individual road race and fourth in the individual time trial at the Asian Road Cycling Championships in Saudi Arabia this past February. Additionally, she won bronze in omnium and helped South Korea finish fourth in team pursuit at the Asian Track Cycling Championships in the Philippines in March.
Looking ahead, Shin is set to compete in track events at the Asian Games, including madison, omnium, and team pursuit. She plans to return to South Korea briefly before heading back to Japan for the track races beginning September 29. "Since track races are main events, I want to compete with even more confidence and put on great performances," Shin said, expressing her aspirations for the upcoming competitions.