South Korea secures first gold medal of 9th Asian Winter Games

South Korea won the first gold medal of the ninth Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, in the short-track speed skating 2,000-meter mixed relay final on Saturday morning.

Kim Gil-li, Choi Min-jeong, Park Ji-won and Kim Tae-sung finished the final in 2:41.534, with Kim Tae-sung taking the lead in the final two laps. Kazakhstan came in second with a time of 2:42.258, while Japan claimed the bronze with a finish of 2:44.058.

As the hosts, China were favorites to claim the gold with a significant lead late in the competition, but Lin Xiaojun crashed out in the second-to-last lap, costing the team a spot on the podium. They finished in fourth place.