North Korea at the 2016 Summer Olympics

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North Korea at the
2016 Summer Olympics
Flag of North Korea.svg
IOC code PRK
NOC Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors31 in 9 sports
Flag bearers Choe Jon-wi [1] (opening)
Yun Won-chol (closing)
Medals
Ranked 34th
Gold
2
Silver
3
Bronze
2
Total
7
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
North Korean representatives at the Rio 2016 Olympic Village North Korean representatives at the Rio 2016 Olympic Village.jpg
North Korean representatives at the Rio 2016 Olympic Village

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics.

Contents

The Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since 2000. A total of 31 athletes, 11 men and 20 women, were selected for the North Korean team across nine different sports, marking the fourth straight Games to feature more female athletes than male. [2] [3] North Korea did not register any of its entrants in boxing for the first time since 1972, but was represented in artistic gymnastics for the first time in eight years, after missing out of London 2012 due to a two-year suspension for age falsification.

Notable athletes on the North Korean roster included weightlifting champions Om Yun-chol (men's 56 kg) and Rim Jong-sim (women's 75 kg), twins Kim Hye-gyong and Kim Hye-song in the women's marathon, pistol shooter and three-time Olympian Kim Jong-su, and former gymnastics champion Hong Un-jong in the women's vault. Weightlifting rookie Choe Jon-wi was selected by the committee to lead the North Korean delegation as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony. [1] [2]

North Korea left Rio de Janeiro with a total of seven medals (2 golds, 3 silver, and 2 bronze), signifying its most successful Olympic outcome based on the overall medal count, but falling short of the 12-medal target set by its sports commission. [4] Half of North Korea's medal haul was distributed to the weightlifters, while the rest to the competitors in artistic gymnastics, shooting, and table tennis. Among the medalists were Rim Jong-sim, who repeated her golden feat from London four years earlier in a heavier category, and double world champion Ri Se-gwang, who obtained the nation's first ever gymnastics title by a male after 24 years. [5] [6]

Medalists

MedalNameSportEventDate
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Rim Jong-sim Weightlifting Women's 75 kg 12 August
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Ri Se-gwang Gymnastics Men's vault 15 August
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Om Yun-chol Weightlifting Men's 56 kg 7 August
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Choe Hyo-sim Weightlifting Women's 63 kg 9 August
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Kim Kuk-hyang Weightlifting Women's +75 kg 14 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Kim Song-guk Shooting Men's 50 m pistol 10 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Kim Song-i Table tennis Women's singles 10 August

Archery

One North Korean archer qualified for the women's individual recurve by obtaining one of the three Olympic places available from the 2015 Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok, Thailand. [7]

AthleteEventRanking roundRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / BM
ScoreSeedOpposition
Score		Opposition
Score		Opposition
Score		Opposition
Score		Opposition
Score		Opposition
Score		Rank
Kang Un-ju Women's individual 64315Flag of Brazil.svg  Nikitin  (BRA)
W 6–0		Flag of Sweden.svg  Bjerendal  (SWE)
W 6–2		Flag of South Korea.svg  Chang H-j  (KOR)
L 2–6		Did not advance

Athletics (track and field)

North Korean athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of three athletes in each event): [8] [9]

Key
Track & road events
AthleteEventFinal
ResultRank
Pak Chol Men's marathon 2:15:2727
Kim Hye-gyong Women's marathon 2:28:3611
Kim Hye-song 2:28:3610
Kim Kum-ok 2:38:2449

Diving

North Korean divers qualified for the following individual spots and synchronized teams at the 2016 Olympic Games by having achieved a top three finish from the 2015 World Championships. [10]

AthleteEventPreliminariesSemifinalsFinal
PointsRankPointsRankPointsRank
Kim Kuk-hyang Women's 10 m platform 263.2025Did not advance
Kim Un-hyang 289.4518 Q343.705 Q357.907
Kim Kuk-hyang
Kim Mi-rae 		Women's 10 m synchronized platform —322.444

Gymnastics

North Koreans observed women's artistic gymnastics training in Rio. North Koreans watch women's artistic gymnastics training at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.jpg
North Koreans observed women's artistic gymnastics training in Rio.

Artistic

North Korea has qualified one male and one female artistic gymnast each for of the following apparatus and all-around events through the 2015 World Championships. [11] [12]

Men
AthleteEventQualificationFinal
ApparatusTotalRankApparatusTotalRank
F PH R V PB HB F PH R V PB HB
Ri Se-gwang Vault —15.433—15.4331 Q—15.691—15.691Gold medal icon.svg
Women
AthleteEventQualificationFinal
ApparatusTotalRankApparatusTotalRank
V UB BB F V UB BB F
Hong Un-jong Vault 15.683—15.6832 Q14.900—14.9006
Floor —12.53312.53371Did not advance

Judo

North Korea has qualified three judokas for each of the following weight classes at the Games. Hong Kuk-hyon and Kyong Sol were ranked among the top 22 eligible judokas for men and top 14 for women in the IJF World Ranking List of 30 May 2016, while Kim Sol-mi at women's extra-lightweight (48 kg) earned a continental quota spot from the Asian region as the highest-ranked North Korean judoka outside of direct qualifying position. [13]

AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechageFinal / BM
Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Rank
Hong Kuk-hyon Men's −73 kg Flag of France.svg  Duprat  (FRA)
L 000–100		Did not advance
Kim Sol-mi Women's −48 kg —Flag of Russia.svg  Dolgova  (RUS)
L 000–001		Did not advance
Sol Kyong Women's −78 kg —ByeFlag of France.svg  Tcheuméo  (FRA)
L 000–100		Did not advance

Shooting

North Korean shooters have achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the 2014 and 2015 ISSF World Championships, the 2015 ISSF World Cup series, and Asian Championships, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) as of March 31, 2016. [14]

AthleteEventQualificationSemifinalFinal
PointsRankPointsRankPointsRank
Kim Jong-su Men's 10 m air pistol 57527—Did not advance
Men's 50 m pistol 54824—Did not advance
Kim Song-guk Men's 10 m air pistol 57717—Did not advance
Men's 50 m pistol 5575 Q—172.8Bronze medal icon.svg
Jo Yong-suk Women's 10 m air pistol 38112—Did not advance
Women's 25 m pistol 5826 Q127Did not advance
Pak Yong-hui Women's trap 6512Did not advance

Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)

Table tennis

North Korea has fielded a team of three athletes into the table tennis competition at the Games. Kim Song I and 2012 Olympian Ri Myong-sun scored a second-stage draw victory each to book two of six remaining Olympic spots in the women's singles at the Asian Qualification Tournament in Hong Kong. [15]

Ri Mi-gyong was awarded the third spot to build the women's team for the Games by virtue of a top 10 national finish in the ITTF Olympic Rankings. [16]

AthleteEventPreliminaryRound 1Round 2Round 3Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / BM
Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Rank
Kim Song-i Women's singles ByeFlag of Poland.svg  Grzybowska  (POL)
W 4–0		Flag of Japan.svg  Ishikawa  (JPN)
W 4–3		Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg  Chen S-y  (TPE)
W 4–2		Flag of Singapore.svg  Yu My  (SIN)
W 4–2		Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding N  (CHN)
L 1–4		Flag of Japan.svg  Fukuhara  (JPN)
W 4–1		Bronze medal icon.svg
Ri Myong-sun ByeFlag of Hungary.svg  Lovas  (HUN)
W 4–1		Flag of Germany.svg  Solja  (GER)
W 4–0		Flag of Japan.svg  Fukuhara  (JPN)
L 0–4		Did not advance
Kim Song-i
Ri Mi-gyong
Ri Myong-sun 		Women's team —Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS)
W 3–0		Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN)
L 0–3		did not advance

Weightlifting

North Korean weightlifters have qualified a maximum of six men's and four women's quota places for the Rio Olympics based on their combined team standing by points at the 2014 and 2015 IWF World Championships. The team must allocate these places to individual athletes by 20 June 2016.

On 22 June 2016, the International Weightlifting Federation decided to strip one men's and one women's entry place each from North Korea to the Olympics because of "multiple positive cases" of doping throughout the qualifying period. [17] [18]

Men
AthleteEventSnatchClean & jerkTotalRank
ResultRankResultRank
Om Yun-chol −56 kg 13421692303Silver medal icon.svg
Kim Myong-hyok −69 kg 1573196DNF-DNF
Kwon Yong-gwang 137161761131314
Choe Jon-wi −77 kg 153819083438
Women
AthleteEventSnatchClean & jerkTotalRank
ResultRankResultRank
Choe Hyo-sim −63 kg 10531432248Silver medal icon.svg
Rim Jong-sim −75 kg 12111531274Gold medal icon.svg
Kim Kuk-hyang +75 kg 13111752306Silver medal icon.svg

Wrestling

North Korea has qualified a total of four wrestlers for each of the following weight classes into the Olympic competition. Three of them finished among the top six to book an Olympic spot each in the men's freestyle 57 kg, men's Greco-Roman 59 kg, and women's freestyle 53 kg at the 2015 World Championships, while the other had claimed the remaining Olympic slot to round out the North Korean roster at the initial meet of the World Qualification Tournament in Ulaanbaatar. [19]

Key:

Men's freestyle
AthleteEventQualificationRound of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalRepechage 1Repechage 2Final / BM
Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Rank
Yang Kyong-il −57 kg Flag of Japan.svg  Higuchi  (JPN)
L 1–4 SP		Did not advanceFlag of Belarus.svg  Lachinau  (BLR)
W 3–1 PP		Flag of Cuba.svg  Bonne  (CUB)
L 1–4 SP		Did not advance8
Men's Greco-Roman
AthleteEventQualificationRound of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalRepechage 1Repechage 2Final / BM
Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Rank
Yun Won-chol −59 kg ByeFlag of Egypt.svg  Mahmoud  (EGY)
W 3–1 PP		Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Tasmuradov  (UZB)
L 0–4 ST		Did not advance10
Women's freestyle
AthleteEventQualificationRound of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalRepechage 1Repechage 2Final / BM
Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Opposition
Result		Rank
Kim Hyon-gyong −48 kg Flag of Russia.svg  Dadasheva  (RUS)
L 1–3 PP		Did not advance13
Jong Myong-suk −53 kg Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Gallays  (CAN)
W 4–0 ST		Flag of Turkey.svg  Gün  (TUR)
W 4–0 ST		Flag of the United States.svg  Maroulis  (USA)
L 1–3 PP		Did not advanceByeFlag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Zhong Xc  (CHN)
L 1–3 PP		Did not advance7

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References

  1. 1 2 "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee . Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "N. Korea makes restrained entrance at Rio Games". The Korea Times . 6 August 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Taylor, Adam (10 August 2016). "The Olympics are tough for all athletes. For North Koreans, they're worse". The Washington Post . Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Julian (23 August 2016). "North Korean athletes fall short of Kim Jong-un's medal target in Rio Olympics". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "Weightlifter Rim Jong-sim wins N. Korea's 1st gold in Rio". Yonhap News Agency. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Rio 2016 Olympics: North Korea's Ri Se-gwang wins men's vault title". EuroSport. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "First Rio 2016 continental qualifier adds 5 more nations from Asia". World Archery Federation. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – Rio 2016 Entry Standards" (PDF). IAAF . Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rio 2016: Diving – Participating Athletes". FINA . Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "Rio 2016 Olympic qualifiers in Men's Artistic Gymnastics: See the updated list!". FIG. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Rio 2016 Olympic qualifiers in Women's Artistic Gymnastics: See the updated list!". FIG. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "IJF Officially Announces Qualified Athletes for Rio 2016 Olympic Games". International Judo Federation. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Quota Places by Nation and Number". www.issf-sports.org/. ISSF. 30 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  15. ↑ Marshall, Ian (16 April 2016). "Strong Opposition Ended Earlier Hopes, Later DPR Korea and Thailand Enjoy Success". ITTF. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Team Quota Places for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games" (PDF). ITTF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Strong statement by the IWF Executive Board". International Weightlifting Federation. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "Rio 2016 Weightlifting – List of Athletes by Bodyweight Category" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation . Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  19. ↑ "Wrestling for Rio 2016". United World Wrestling. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
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