Korea claimed the silver medal in the women's 4x6-kilometre biathlon relay at the Asian Winter Games in China on Thursday, with two naturalised athletes playing key roles in the achievement.

The team, consisting of Ekaterina Avvakumova, Mairya Abe, Ko Eun-jung, and Jung Ju-mi, completed the race in 1:29:27.3, securing second place at Yabuli Ski Resort, located 200 kilometres southeast of the main host city, Harbin.

China took the gold medal with a time of 1:29:06.3, while Kazakhstan secured bronze, finishing in 1:30:01.9.

This marks Avvakumova’s second medal at the competition, following her gold in the women's 7.5km sprint on Tuesday—Korea's first-ever biathlon title at the Winter Asiad. Born in Russia, she became a Korean citizen in 2016.

Ko, Jung, and Abe—who was born in Japan to a Japanese father and a Korean mother—each earned their first Asiad medals.

Korea had been trailing in third place at the 20-kilometre mark, behind China and Kazakhstan by more than 20 seconds. However, a determined late surge saw them overtake Kazakhstan to secure a well-earned silver. (Yonhap)