North Korea’s world-beater Om Yun-chol, the smallest weightlifter in the men’s 58-kilogram final at the 2014 Asian Games, made the biggest noise Saturday night in Incheon, whipping the crowd from both sides of the tense border into a frenzy with his record-breaking performance.

The 152-centimeter-tall lifter, who set a world record in the clean and jerk en route to winning his country’s first gold at this year’s Asiad, singlehandedly brought a rock concert atmosphere to the Moonlight Festival Garden Weightlifting Venue.

Perhaps it was only fitting, since the Moonlight Festival Park, inside which the weightlifting arena is situated, is home to one of South Korea’s biggest rock festivals, Pentaport.

Om’s inexorable march toward the world record in the clean jerk prompted rhythmic clapping and enthusiastic chants from the stands. Dozens of South Korean supporters from a civic group even held up a sign that read, in Korean, “Om Yun-chol is the best.”

Om did his part to excite the crowd, jumping up in the air and pumping his fist after successful lifts, a rare display of raw emotions for an athlete from the reclusive, isolated state.

The festival disguised as an Asiad weightlifting competition reached its zenith when Om, with the gold medal already clinched, hoisted 170 kilograms to break his own world record by a kilogram in his third and final clean and jerk attempt.

Even the two reticent North Korean officials, Kim Yong-hun, Pyongyang’s minister of physical culture and sports and the head of its Olympic committee, and Son Kwang-ho, vice head of the Olympic body, were compelled to rise from their seats and applaud.

After the medal ceremony, Om stepped off the podium and walked toward Kim, who gave him a big embrace. Weightlifting officials from other countries also congratulated Om, as the fans in the stands kept chanting his name.

Records down in female weightlifting

INCHEON (Yonhap) ― Two world records came down in women’s weightlifting at the ongoing Asian Games on Sunday, a day after one world mark was broken in the men’s competition.

Hsu Shu Ching of Chinese Taipei captured the gold medal in the women’s 53-kilogram division with a world record total of 233 kilograms, breaking by 3 kilograms the previous record set by Li Ping of China in 2010.

In the same competition, Zulfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan set a world record in the clean and the jerk by hoisting 132 kilograms, bettering her own previous record from 2012 by a kilogram.

Chinshanlo took the silver medal with a total of 228 kilograms.

Hsu held a substantial edge over Chinshanlo in the snatch, 101 kilograms to 96 kilograms.

Zhang Wangjong of China, who led the field in the snatch with 102 kilograms, was the bronze medalist with a total of 228 kilograms. She tied Chinshanlo in the total weight, though she was listed as the heavier athlete of the two.

Kim Un-guk breaks records

INCHEON (Yonhap) ― North Korean weightlifter Kim Un-guk broke two world records to win the gold medal in the men’s 62-kilogram event at the Asian Games on Sunday.

Kim lifted a total of 332 kilograms to break his own previous world record by 5 kilograms, giving North Korea its second gold at the Asiad.

Earlier in the snatch, Kim lifted 154 kilograms in his third snatch attempt to break the previous mark by 1 kilogram.

Shi Zhiyong of China had held the record since 2002. Kim had set the previous world record in the total weight in winning the 2012 Olympic gold in London. (Yonhap)