North Korea bank on Olympic and World champions for Asiad glory

North Korea will be banking on its Olympic gold medallists and World Champions as it targets glory in the 17th Asian Games starting here Friday.

North Korea, which won the men's football silver medal at the last Asian Games, has a squad of about 150 athletes, featuring Olympic and World Champions, and will compete in 14 sports, reports Xinhua.

Weightlifter Om Yun-chol, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist and 2013 World Champion in the men's 56kg division, will take part in the Asiad. He holds the world record in clean and jerk with 169kg, set during the Asian Interclub Championships in Pyongyang last September.

Another world record holder weightlifter, who will be closely followed is Kim Un-guk, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist in the men's 62kg class. His world record winning total of 327kg has not been broken in the last two years. Rim Jong-sim, another Olympic weightlifting champion in the women's 69kg, will also be in Incheon.

Ri Se-gwang is expected to duel South Korea's Yang Hak-seon for the gold medal in the men's vault in artistic gymnastics. Yang won the 2010 Asian Games gold, two years before claiming his first Olympic title, while Ri was the 2006 Asiad gold medallist.

In wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestler Yun Won-chol, the 2013 world champion in the men's 55kg class, will compete at the Asiad.

The table tennis mixed doubles duo of Kim Hyok-bong and Kim Jong won the World Championship last year in Paris and will attempt to claim their first Asian Games gold together.

In judo, Sol Kyong, who won the 2013 world title in the women's 78kg, and Hong Kuk-hyon, the world silver medallist in the men's 73kg last year, will also lead the star cast.

North Korea ranked among the top 10 in Asiad medals in 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1998 and 2002, but finished 16th in 2006 and 12th in 2010.