Om Yun-chol

Om Yun-chol or Um Yoon-chul (Korean: 엄윤철; Korean pronunciation: [ʌ.mjun.tsʰʌl] or [ʌm] [jun.tsʰʌl]; born 18 November 1991)[1] is a North Korean weightlifter, Olympic Champion, and five time World Champion competing in the 56 kg category until 2018 and 55 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.[2] He is 152 centimetres (5 ft 0 in) and weighs 55 kilograms (121 lb).[1] Om represents the Amnokgang Sports Team.[3]

In this Korean name, the family name is Om.
Om Yun-chol
Personal information
NationalityNorth Korean
Born (1991-11-18) 18 November 1991
Chongjin, North Korea
Height1.52 m (5 ft 0 in)
Weight54.95 kg (121 lb)
Sport
CountryNorth Korea
SportWeightlifting
Event(s)–55 kg
TeamAmnokgang Sports Team
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • Snatch: 134 kg (2016)
  • Clean and jerk: 171 kg (2015)
  • Total: 303 kg (2016)
Medal record
Men's weightlifting
Representing  North Korea
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2012 London–56 kg
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de Janeiro–56 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 Wrocław–56 kg
Gold medal – first place2014 Almaty–56 kg
Gold medal – first place2015 Houston–56 kg
Gold medal – first place2018 Ashgabat–55 kg
Gold medal – first place2019 Pattaya–55 kg
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2014 Incheon–56 kg
Gold medal – first place2018 Jakarta-Palembang–56 kg
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 Astana–56 kg
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place2017 Taipei— 56 kg
Om Yun-chol
Hangul
엄윤철
Hanja
嚴潤哲
Revised RomanizationEom Yun-cheol
McCune–ReischauerŎm Yun-ch'ŏl

He is also the fourth man to lift over 3 times bodyweight in the clean & jerk multiple times after succeeding in breaking the world record clean and jerk of 169 kg in the −56 kg weight class during the Asian Interclub Championships,[4] and has accomplished this feat 3 more times since the Asian Interclub Championships, at the 2014 Asian Games, 2015 World Weightlifting Championships, and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

He was also the sixth man to lift at least triple his bodyweight in the clean & jerk in international competition, having done so seven times;[5] the others are Naim Süleymanoğlu, Stefan Topurov,[6] Long Qingquan, Halil Mutlu, and Neno Terziyski.

He has set six senior world records throughout his career, five in the clean & jerk and one in the total.

Early life

According to North Korean sources,he was born to a family of fishermen, in Sunam-guyok, Chongjin.Om was picked up by the weightlifting instructor Sin gap jun while practicing football at the local sports school.

Career

Olympics

He won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics at the men's 56 kg event,[1] setting an Olympic Record in the clean and jerk with 168 kg,[7] all while competing in the B session. He became only the fifth man to ever clean and jerk three times his own body weight.[8]

At the men's 56 kg weightlifting event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Om was a favorite to renew his gold from London. After breaking his own Olympic record with a lift of 169 kg, Om was surpassed by Long Qingquan and had to settle for the silver medal.[9]

World Championships

He won his first World Championships in 2013, one year removed from becoming Olympic Champion, by beating Long Qingquan by 2 kg.

In 2014 he defended his title as World Champion by lifting 296 kg at the 2014 World Weightlifting Championships. His total was tied with second place Thạch Kim Tuấn but he won by virtue of a lighter body weight (55.71 vs. 55.75).

Following his World Championship win in 2014 he was the heavy favorite to win his third World championship in a row. He ended up winning the gold medal at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships in spectacular fashion, after trailing Wu Jingbiao by 8 kg in the snatch (during which he set a new world record snatch of 168 kg) Om Yun-chol outlifted Wu Jingbiao by 8 kg in the clean and jerk setting a new world record clean and jerk of 171 kg. Their totals of 302 kg were tied, but yet again Om Yun-chol won by virtue of a lighter body weight.[10]

He did not compete in the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships due to the North Korean team issuing a boycott of the Championships.[11]

In 2018 the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories and he competed in the newly created 55 kg, he won his fourth World Championships by a margin of 24 kg over the second-place finisher, while winning gold medals in all lifts. During the clean and jerk portion of the competition he set a new world record of 162 kg.[12]

Asian Games

At the 2014 Asian Games he won the gold medal in the 56 kg, in the clean and jerk portion he set a new world record lift of 170 kg.[13] His total of 298 kg was an Asian Record at the time of competition.[14][15]

At the next Asian Games in 2018 he was the favorite to win another gold medal at the Games. After finishing in second place after the snatch portion of the competition, 1 kg behind Thạch Kim Tuấn, he outlifted him by 8 kg in the clean and jerk portion of the competition securing his second Asian Games gold medal.[16][17]

Major results
Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
2012United Kingdom London, United Kingdom56 kg120125125616016516812931st place, gold medalist(s)
2016Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil56 kg128132134216516916923032nd place, silver medalist(s)
World Championships
2011France Paris, France56 kg1151181181015215215252676
2013Poland Wrocław, Poland56 kg1241271302nd place, silver medalist(s)162170--1st place, gold medalist(s)2891st place, gold medalist(s)
2014Kazakhstan Almaty, Kazakhstan56 kg12412412851621621681st place, gold medalist(s)2961st place, gold medalist(s)
2015United States Houston, United States56 kg1271311333rd place, bronze medalist(s)165171 WR1751st place, gold medalist(s)3021st place, gold medalist(s)
2018Turkmenistan Ashgabat, Turkmenistan55 kg1201251281st place, gold medalist(s)155162162 WR1st place, gold medalist(s)2821st place, gold medalist(s)
2019Thailand Pattaya, Thailand55 kg1211261281st place, gold medalist(s)155163166 CWR1st place, gold medalist(s)294 CWR1st place, gold medalist(s)
Asian Games
2014South Korea Incheon, South Korea56 kg1231281313160166170 WR12981st place, gold medalist(s)
2018Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia56 kg127131131216017217212871st place, gold medalist(s)
Asian Championships
2013Kazakhstan Astana, Kazakhstan56 kg1221261261st place, gold medalist(s)1601691691st place, gold medalist(s)2861st place, gold medalist(s)
2019China Ningbo, China61 kg125130133716517217242956
Asian Interclub Championships
2013North Korea Pyongyang, North Korea56 kg1151181201st place, gold medalist(s)155169 WR--1st place, gold medalist(s)2891st place, gold medalist(s)
World Junior Championships
2011Malaysia Penang, Malaysia56 kg11512112161501561561st place, gold medalist(s)2714
Summer Universiade
2013Taiwan New Taipei, Taiwan56 kg122129 UR--1st place, gold medalist(s)155165 UR1721st place, gold medalist(s)294 UR1st place, gold medalist(s)
  • CWR: Current world record
  • WR: World record
  • UR: Universiade record

References
  1. "Om Yun-chol". London2012.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  2. PDF listing of 2018 Group A world championship entrants in 55 kg
  3. "DPRK's Best Players, Coaches for 2013". kcnawatch.nknews.org. KCNA. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  4. "World records – International Weightlifting Federation".
  5. BarBend (9 June 2017). "Only 6 People Have Officially Clean & Jerked Triple Bodyweight (in Competition)". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  6. Chidlovski.net. "Stefan Topurov". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  7. ESPN (29 July 2012). "Om Yun Chol wins weightlifting gold". Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  8. Chidlovski, Arthur. "Who in the World Has Ever Lifted Three Times Their Own Body Weight?". Lift Up. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  9. John G. Grisafi (8 August 2016). "North Korea wins its first medal of 2016 Olympics". NK News. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  10. NBC Sports. "World records fall at Weightlifting World Championships". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  11. Reuters.com (8 November 2017). "Weightlifting: North Korea not among entrants for world champs in U.S." Reuters. Retrieved 9 December 2018. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. IWF.net (2 November 2018). "Six Medallists in the men's 55kg". Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  13. IWF.net (22 September 2014). "World Record breaking 2014 Asian Games". Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  14. ESPN (20 September 2014). "Om Yun Chol sets world record". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  15. "North Korea's Om Yun Chol sets world record". Associated Press. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  16. Yonhap News Agency (20 August 2018). "N. Korea's Om Yun-chol defends weightlifting title". Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  17. Korea Herald (20 August 2018). "N. Korea's Om Yun-chol defends weightlifting title". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
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