Harbin: South Korean teammates Lee Na-hyun and Kim Min-sun claimed the gold and silver medals in the women’s 100-meter speed skating race at the Asian Winter Games in China on Saturday. Lee finished the sprint event in 10.501 seconds, narrowly edging out Kim, who recorded a time of 10.505 seconds, at the Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center Speed Skating Oval in Harbin, northeast China. Chen Ying-Chu of Chinese Taipei secured the bronze medal with a time of 10.51 seconds.

According to Yonhap News Agency, skaters competed in pairs, with Lee participating in the eighth and penultimate pair, clocking a time of 10.50 seconds. In the final group, Kim also clocked 10.50 seconds, prompting judges to measure down to one-thousandth of a second to declare Lee as the champion by a very slim margin. This victory marked the first speed skating gold for South Korea in Harbin.

Earlier on Saturday, Kim Jun-ho added to South Korea’s medal tally by winning the bronze in the men’s 100m event, finishing with a time of 9.62 seconds. The gold and silver in that event went to Gao Tingyu of China, with a time of 9.35 seconds, and Yevgeniy Koshkin of Kazakhstan, who clocked 9.47 seconds.

Lee Na-hyun, at just 19 years old, was not initially considered a strong contender for a medal in the 100m-an event not featured in the Olympics but included in the Asiad for the first time. Reflecting on her unexpected triumph, Lee stated, “I just skated like I was training, but still ended up with a pretty good time. This is just the beginning for me. I still have a long way to go, but I’d like to think I have a bright future ahead of me.”

Both Lee and Kim are set to compete again in the 500m event on Sunday. Kim has been recognized as one of the top performers globally in the 500m in recent years. Lee expressed her aspirations for the upcoming race, saying, “I would just like to win a medal, regardless of the color.”