(UPDATES with quotes)
Kim Un Gak gave North Korea its second weightlifting gold of the London Olympics on Monday, breaking the men’s 62 kilogram world record along the way.
Kim broke the Olympic record in the snatch with 153kg before lifting 174kg in the clean and jerk for a world record total of 327kg, 10kg more than his closest rivals.
He dedicated it to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
"Kim Jong-Un is waiting for the news so I will be pleased to get the news to him," Kim said.
"The whole country will be happy, and the father of the country will be very happy too."
Asked if this was his greatest achievement, Kim responded: "Instead of thinking of ourselves, we focus on the country and winning for our country."
In the clean and jerk, Colombia’s Oscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera lifted the Olympic record 177kg weight he needed for silver, which he took with a total of 317kg.
The bronze went to Indonesia’s Eko Yuli Irawan, who lifted the same total as Figueroa Mosquera but took the medal thanks to a lower body weight, while last year’s world champion Zhang Jie of China was left in fourth after two failed lifts that would have put him among the medals.
Om Yun Chol set an Olympic record Sunday on his way to winning North Korea’s first gold medal, also in weightlifting, in the 56kg category.
