Retired Olympic weightlifting champion Jang Mi-ran gave a special lecture at a provincial girls’ high school Thursday.

She emphasized following one’s dreams and taking on challenges to the students of Il Shin Girls’ High School in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.

“Keep in mind three things: opportunities, choice and challenge. Like I realized my dream through weightlifting, I hope that you can find and accomplish what you can do,” she said. “Do your utmost in the one thing that you believe you can do the best in the world. You will get good results if you try to the end with confidence.”

She also spoke about how she became a weightlifter and how hard she tried to be a world champion.

The 30-year-old won the gold medal in the over-75kg class at the 2008 Olympic Games, having broken world records in snatch, clean and jerk, and combined total. She also took the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games.

After the lecture, she encouraged the school’s handball team and gave them athletic supplies.

Jang retired from weightlifting in January and was appointed as one of 19 members of the youth committee launched by President Park Geun-hye on June 19 to give advice on youth policies.

Her lecture at the school was made at its students’ invitation. They sent Jang about 80 hand-written letters from April that moved her to give a lecture.

The school has arranged for such a special lecture once or twice a year for about a decade.

So far, former North Chungcheong Province Gov. Lee Won-jong, former Justice Minister Kang Kum-sil, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens and South Chungcheong Province Gov. Ahn Hee-jung have lectured at the school.

In July last year, then-presidential candidate Park also had a dialogue with students of the school.

Established in March 1968, Il Shin Girls’ High School has thus far produced about 25,000 graduates.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)