Jung Ji-min (Seoul City Hall & The North Face), who captured South Korea's first medal across both men's and women's divisions by winning the bronze in the women's speed individual event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, could not hide her overwhelming joy, saying, "I had imagined standing on the podium, but actually being here is so thrilling" and "It's an unexpected result."

Jung secured the valuable bronze medal by placing third with a time of 6.18 seconds in the women's speed finals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Port Messe Nagoya Exhibition Hall 1 in Nagoya, Japan, yesterday (September 30).

Speaking in the mixed zone, Jung smiled brightly and said, "The athletes who advanced to the finals alongside me are immensely skilled, so I felt both nervous and excited," adding, "While it's a bit disappointing to have missed out on silver or higher by a razor-thin margin, I am extremely satisfied that I continued to set personal bests today."

She explained, "Before coming to this competition, my personal best was 6.33 seconds, but today I shortened it to 6.28 seconds in the preliminaries, followed by 6.25 seconds, and then down to 6.180 seconds in the finals."

She added, "While correcting my climbing posture this year, I went through a slump for a while as I focused solely on changing my form rather than worrying about my times," and noted, "However, thanks to raising my condition while preparing for this tournament, I was able to set successive personal records."

Jung, who previously claimed a bronze medal in the women's speed relay at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, established a new milestone with today's medal.

This marks the first time a South Korean athlete has won a medal in the men's or women's individual speed events at the Asian Games since sport climbing was adopted as an official discipline at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.

During the four-person final round, an unexpected variable arose when a competitor was disqualified for a false start, allowing Jung to secure at least a bronze medal early on.

Reflecting on the moment, she recalled, "I thought to myself that I could let go of the pressure regarding rankings and comfortably focus solely on my own race."

Having successfully wrapped up the Asian Games, Jung's sights are now set on a bigger stage.

Revealing her bold aspirations, Jung stated, "Since the Los Angeles Olympics is the biggest remaining stage ahead, winning an Olympic quota spot is my next goal."

She also added, "Aside from myself, other South Korean athletes are working really hard in training. I hope that at the next international competition, my teammates and I can all stand on the podium together."