The long-awaited first medal for Korea erupted in cycling! 'Human Engine' Shin Ji-eun secured a precious bronze in the women's individual road time trial... "A positive starting point" [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea's first medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has been won. The protagonist is Shin Ji-eun (25, Geumsan County Office) of South Korean women's cycling.

On the 20th, Shin Ji-eun crossed the finish line with a time of 36 minutes 56 seconds 14 in the final of the women's individual road race at the cycling road course in Shinshiro, Japan, earning a precious bronze medal.

Starting tenth among the 15th participants that day, Shin Ji-eun raced down the road with a fierce speed averaging 39.3 km/h. Kazakhstan's Rinata Sultanova (36:23.72) took the gold, followed by China's Zhang Hao (36:28.40) in second place.

As a result, Shin Ji-eun became the first to bring a medal to the South Korean delegation at this tournament. This precious achievement came after stepping onto the Asian Games stage for the second time following the 2023 Hangzhou Games.

Shin Ji-eun's upward momentum this year has been fierce. After winning a bronze medal (fourth in the individual road race) at the Asian Road Cycling Championships held in Saudi Arabia last February, she also secured third place in the women's omnium event at the cycling track Asian Championships in March, showcasing excellent form.

Having made a promising start in the road events, Shin Ji-eun will now turn her attention to additional medal hunting in her main discipline, track cycling. Starting with the team pursuit event on the 29th, she is scheduled to compete again in the individual omnium and Madison on October 1st.

Lee Sang-hyun of Korea Cycling Federation, who serves as the head coach of the South Korean delegation, applauded Shin Ji-eun's bronze medal achievement. "I am truly proud that Shin Ji-eun brought us a valuable medal from our very first cycling event at these Games," he said. "This medal will serve as a positive starting point for the entire national team." He added, "We expect more good news about medals in South Korean cycling to continue as our athletes fully display their prepared skills in the remaining road, track, MTB, and BMX events."

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*This content was translated by AI.