'Kimchi helped me win the gold'

By Baek Byung-yeul

INCHEON ― A North Korean female weightlifter said Sunday that kimchi was the secret behind her world record ― a less-sycophantic answer than that from her colleagues who credited their success to dictator Kim Jung-un.

“We eat no special food, just kimchi,” said Kim Un-ju, 24, who broke the world record with a 164 kg clean and jerk in the 75 kg division last Thursday.

She also thanked coach Choe Nong-gyun, who attended the conference along with Jang Su-myong, from the North Korean Olympic Committee.

“Coach Choe is a good man. He’s like a father, but he pushed me to the utmost limit,” she said. “I had to survive hard training ― I feared I might get injured while training so hard.”

North Korean weightlifters have been leading their country’s impressive performance at the Asiad, with the reclusive country fifth in the medal standing. North Korean weightlifters have won four golds out of 15 available ― the second largest number followed by China with seven.

Kim outperformed two major rivals ― China’s world championship silver medalist Kang Yue and Kim’s countrywoman Rim Jong-sim, gold medalist in the London Olympics’ 69 kg event, who raised her weight to compete at Incheon.

Kang bolted ahead of the two Koreans with a total 291 kg, posting Asian Games records in the snatch and clean and jerk by lifting 131 kg and 161 kg.

But Kim, who lifted 128 kg in the snatch, hoisted the world record of 164 kg in her third attempt at the clean and jerk to beat Kang by 1 kg. Rim was third with a total 271 kg.

Kim also said South Koreans’ support for North Korean athletes at the Moonlight Festival Garden Weightlifting Venue also motivated her.

“I did my best to pay back their cheering,” she said. “I don’t have any special feeling about whether I compete here in Korea or other places, but I was fully engaged in the contest because I wanted to live up to the enthusiastic support.”

But as expected, and like other North Korean athletes, Kim also used the occasion to praise the North’s great leader.

“I hope to keep performing well on other international stages for my respected marshal Kim Jong-un,” she said.