Chol grabs gold in world-record effort

North Korean weightlifter improves on his own world record at the Asian Games; South Korea lead table after opening day

Om Yun-Chol bagged gold at London 2012 and the 2013 world championships [AFP]

North Korea’s Om Yun Chol beat his own world record in the men’s 56kg clean and jerk by one kilogram to grab weightlifting gold on the first day of competition at the Asian Games.

Medals table (Top-5)
   G  S  B  Total 
1S Korea 55313
2China51511
3Mongolia 2114
4Kazakhstan 2035
5Japan1438

Om, the 2012 Olympic champion and 2013 world champion, lifted 170khs to earn North Korea’s first gold medal at the games.

Om also had a combined total of 298kgs to mark an Asian Games record after lifting 128kgs in the snatch.

South Korea dominated in fencing, winning both gold and silver in the men’s epee individual and women’s saber individual.

Lee Ra-jin edged out teammate Olympic gold medalist Kim Jiyeon to win the saber gold, while Olympic bronze medalist Jung Jin-sun defeated teammate Park Kyong-doo in the epee.

Both of Mongolia’s golds came in judo, with Tumurkhuleg Davaadorj winning the men’s 66kg class and Urantsetseg Munkhbat taking the women’s 48kg competition.

Japan’s Misato Nakamura won the women’s 52kg class and Yeldos Smetov took gold in the men’s 60kg.

In women’s football, highly favored North Korea downed minnows Hong Kong 5-0.

In cycling, China and South Korea split the golds in the team sprint, with the hosts winning the men’s competition and China taking the women’s.

China also struck gold in synchronised swimming, leaving the silver to Japan and bronze to Kazakhstan.

Source: News Agencies