Park Jiwon (R) of the Republic of Korea competes as Lin Xiaojun of China falls down during the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

HARBIN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The ROK claimed the opening gold at the Harbin Asian Winter Games in the Short Track Speed Skating Mixed 2,000m Relay here on Saturday.

The ROK quartet of Kim Gilli, Choi Minjeong, Park Jiwon, and Kim Taesung finished first in two minutes and 41.534 seconds. Kazakhstan took a silver in 2:42.258, while the bronze went to Japan.

Chinese skaters once took the lead in the race but dropped to the fourth, as Lin Xiaojun slipped out of the track. ■

Park Jiwon (R) of the ROK competes as Lin Xiaojun of China falls down during the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

Park Jiwon (L), Kim Gilli (C) and Kim Taesung of the ROK celebrate after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

Park Jiwon (R) of the ROK celebrates after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

Team Japan celebrate after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

(from L to R)Lin Xiaojun, Fan Kexin, Gong Li and Liu Shaoang of China leave after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

Park Jiwon (L), Kim Gilli (C) and Kim Taesung of the ROK celebrate after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

Park Jiwon (L) of the ROK competes as Lin Xiaojun of China falls down during the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

Team Kazakhstan celebrate after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

Fan Kexin (L, front) of China competes during the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Liu Shaoang (R) and Lin Xiaojun of China react after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

Liu Shaoang (R) and Lin Xiaojun of China react after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

Fan Kexin (2nd L) and Gong Li (front) of China compete during the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Fan Kexin (1st L) and Gong Li (2nd R) of China compete during the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Park Jiwon of the ROK celebrates after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Lin Xiaojun of China falls down during the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Team Kazakhstan celebrate after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Gong Li (L) and Lin Xiaojun of China react after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

Park Jiwon (1st R) of the ROK celebrates after the Mixed 2,000m Relay final match of the Short Track Speed Skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 8, 2025. Team ROK claimed the Games' opening gold medal here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)