Kazakh cyclist Rinata Sultanova won the women's individual time trial on the road, giving Kazakhstan its first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games, infohub.kz reports.
Sultanova's gold was Kazakhstan's second success on the first official day of the 2026 Asian Games: triathlete Arlan Zhanabay had earlier taken bronze.
Sultanova, a bronze medalist at the 2022 Asian Games, finished in 36:23.72 to take first place in the individual time trial. She beat silver medalist Hao Zhang of China by 4.68 seconds. Zhong Shin of South Korea took bronze in 36:56.14.
2026 ASIAN GAMES
September 20. Cycling. Individual time trial. Women
🥇 1. Rinata SULTANOVA (Kazakhstan) – 36:23.72
🥈 2. HAO ZHANG (China) – 36:28.40
🥉 3. ZHONG SHIN (South Korea) – 36:56.14
This is the 14th gold medal won by Kazakh cyclists at the Asian Games.
Kazakhstan currently sits second in the 2026 Asian Games medal table.
The 20th Summer Asian Games in Japan officially opened yesterday, September 19. The multi-sport event, featuring athletes from 45 countries, will award 460 sets of medals: 217 in men's events, 204 in women's events and 39 in mixed events. Competition will be held in 68 disciplines across 41 sports.
Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games will consist of 559 athletes.