'World records not enough': North Korea weightlifters target Olympic gold rush
- At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games this week, North Korean weightlifters secured four gold medals and two silvers from six events, setting seven world records by Friday night. The nation targets a gold rush at the Los Angeles Olympics, their first Games in 12 years.
- Pyongyang sporting authorities focus limited resources scientifically on strength and technique rather than flair, according to Shreyas Reddy, a North Korea analyst at NK News who spoke to AFP. The regime uses sporting success to spread narratives about socialist ideology.
- Team manager Jang Song Nam told AFP that every gold medal represents "payback for our hardship over four years" of isolation. Athletes Ri Song Gum and Oh Kwang Ok dominated the 49kg and 57kg weight classes, each setting multiple world records.
- World doping authorities are back in North Korea as athletes return to competition. The World Anti-Doping Agency lifted restrictions in January 2024, and the International Testing Agency conducted out-of-competition testing inside the country for the first time in four years.
- Weightlifter Oh Kwang Ok plans to compete in the 53kg category at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "I will try my best to win gold in Los Angeles," the 28-year-old said, noting that "world records are not enough.
11 Articles
11 Articles
North Korea’s weightlifters target Olympics after Asian Games world record haul
North Korea’s weightlifters will flex their considerable collective muscle when they return to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years at Los Angeles in 2028 – and they could be in for an American gold rush if the Asian Games are any indication. The secretive nation has been the dominant force in global weightlifting since emerging from self-imposed Covid exile to smash six world records at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. They also won six…
(Nagoya=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Dae-ho = North Korean weightlifter Ri Won-ju reached the top of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, showcasing overwhelming power in the clean and jerk.
Several gold medals may be in prospect for North Korea at the Olympics, if the level at the Asian Games is fair.
Several gold medals may be in prospect for North Korea at the Olympics if the level at the Asian Games is fair.
Several gold medals may be in prospect for North Korea at the Olympics, if the level at the Asian Games is fair.
'World records not enough': North Korea weightlifters target Olympic gold rush
The secretive nation has been the dominant force in global weightlifting since emerging from self-imposed Covid exile to smash six world records at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. They also won six golds. At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan this week North Korea's strongwomen and men have taken four gold medals and two silvers from six events so far. They had also set seven world records by Friday night, less than halfway through the se…
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