Harbin: South Korea grabbed bronze in the women's team pursuit speed skating event at the Asian Winter Games in northeast China on Tuesday. The South Korean team of Park Ji-woo, Jeong Yu-na, and Kim Yoon-ji finished with a time of 3:10.47 for the bronze medal at Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Center Speed Skating Oval in Harbin.
According to Yonhap News Agency, China finished first in 3:02.75, and Japan ended up in second place with a time of 3:05.52. In team pursuit, two teams, with three skaters on each side, start on opposite sides of the oval. The race is 2,400 meters for women, consisting of six laps, and a team is timed when its third and final skater crosses the finish line.
With only four teams in the event, South Korea competed against the Kazakhstan team of Mariya Degen, Nadezhda Morozova, and Kristina Shumekova in the first pairing. South Korea easily beat Kazakhstan after a Kazakhstani skater fell soon after the start, allowing South Korea to overtake its opponents.
South Korea was assured of at least the bronze medal with only China and Japan left in the final pair. The South Korean team secured third place after China and Japan both posted faster times. This was the last day of speed skating races in Harbin, and South Korea concluded the event with three gold, five silver, and four bronze medals. Only China won more medals.