Jeong Byeong-hee wins Korea's first gold at the roller rink

Korea's Jeong Byeong-hee celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's speed skating 10000m point elimination race at the Hangzhou Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Korea claimed three medals on the first day of roller skating competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Saturday, taking bronze in the women’s speed skating 10,000-meter point elimination and both gold and bronze in the equivalent men’s race.

Yu Ga-ram started the skating medal run in the women’s 10,000 meters at 9 a.m. on Saturday, coming in just behind Shih Pei-yu and Yang Ho-chen of Chinese Taipei at the QT Roller Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China.

Yu finished the race in 17 minutes and 23.416 seconds, crossing the line in second place 0.2 seconds after Shih, but dropping back to third on points — awarded on specific laps of the race — with 14 to Yang’s 18.

The point elimination race combines a point system with an elimination system, leaving only the leading skaters on the track by the end of the race.

The women’s race was followed on to the track by the men’s 10,000-meter point elimination, where Korea’s Jeong Byeong-hee took gold and Choi In-ho took silver.

Jeong led the pack by some distance, crossing the finish line in 15 minutes and 39.867 seconds, nearly 2 seconds ahead of China’s Zhang Zhenhai in second place.

Choi In-ho took bronze just 0.1 seconds behind Zhang, with Jeong taking 19 points, Zhang 14 and Choi 11.

Roller skating events continue through the next week, with sprint races up next on Sunday.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]