Emotional North Korean dedicates Asian Games gold to his late mother
O Kang Chol’s reaction comes as a poignant time on the Korean Peninsula.
Weightlifting
Warning: O Kang Chol’s reaction to winning Asian Games gold could cause a lump in your throat!
The North Korean sealed a shock victory in the 69-kg weightlifting division and broke down in tears as he dedicated the victory to his late mother.
"I could not hold back the tears when I climbed on to the top step of the podium to receive the gold medal," O told AFP in Jakarta.
"I was thinking of my motherland, first. But also especially my own mother, who always dreamed of me winning a gold medal in this competition."
Korean crowd in raptures
North Korea’s number one Kim Myong Hyok had failed to live up to his favourite tag, crashing out on his first attempt.
But the huge Korean contingent in the 2,000 sell-out crowd weren’t disappointed for long.
O stepped up to lift combined total of 335kg, securing North Korea’s third weightlifting title of the event.
The 24-year-old let out an initial roar of delight before breaking down in tears, as thoughts turned to his mother.
"I will visit my mother's grave and give her this gold medal."
Another emotional moment for Korea
O’s emotional victory comes at a poignant time on the Korean Peninsula.
This week, 89 Korean families were temporarily reunited after six decades due to war.
On Saturday a joint Korean team marched in the opening ceremony of the 18th Asian Games.
The unified Korea flag was seen flying inside sports stadiums at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics in February, where the teams also marched together and combined in women's ice hockey.