Harbin: South Korea flexed its muscles in short track speed skating on Saturday, grabbing four out of five gold medals at stake and nine medals overall on the first day of medal competition at the Asian Winter Games in China. When the fireworks ended, Kim Gil-li, Park Ji-won, and Choi Min-jeong all emerged as double gold medalists at Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center Multifunctional Hall in the northeastern city of Harbin.

According to Yonhap News Agency, for South Korea, the day began with the gold medal in the mixed 2,000-meter relay, with Kim and Park teaming up with Choi Min-jeong and Kim Tae-sung for the inaugural Winter Asiad gold in the mixed event. It was also South Korea’s very first medal in any sport in Harbin. Kim Gil-li then picked up her second gold medal of the day in the women’s 1,500m.

Moments later, Park joined Kim as the double gold medalist by winning the men’s 1,500m title. His teammate Jang Sung-woo got the bronze. Choi then led a historic podium sweep for South Korea in the women’s 500m, taking the gold medal ahead of Kim Gil-li and Lee So-yeon. Choi became the first South Korean to win the women’s 500m title at an Asian Winter Games, while denying Kim her third gold of the day.

Park also fell short of his third gold of Saturday in the men’s 500m final, where Lin Xiaojun of China — born Lim Hyo-jun in South Korea — got the gold. Jang grabbed his second bronze medal of the day. In the mixed relay, skaters who had competed in the quarterfinals and the semifinals but not in the final will still receive their gold medals. That group includes Noh Do-hee and Shim Suk-hee on the women’s side and Kim Gun-woo and Jang on the men’s side.

The short track competition will wrap up Sunday with the four remaining finals: the women’s and men’s 1,000m, the women’s 3,000m relay, and the men’s 5,000m relay. South Korea arrived in Harbin with a goal of winning six out of nine gold medals in short track.