DPRK secures two gold medals in Asian Games after 5-year absence
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DPRK athletes scored exceptional achievements at the Asian Games, leading to 14 medals and knockout stage qualification for both women's and men's football teams.
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DPRK's An Changok (C) celebrates winning the gold medal with silver medallist Mikako Serita of Japan (L) and bronze medallist Zuo Tong of China (R) in the women's uneven bars in the artistic gymnastics at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province, on September 28, 2023 (AFP)
Athletes of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are achieving exceptional results at the Asian Games.
The most resounding of those achievements is a gold medal awarded to the DPRK's women's shooting team in the 10-meter running target competition.
This marks the first top prize for DPRK athletes in major international competitions in the last five years and the first gold medal for the DPRK in this shooting event.
The women's team tallied 1,655 points on the board to beat Kazakhstan in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
DPRK's An Changok also won first place in the women's uneven bars competition in the artistic gymnastics on Thursday.
Moreover, the country has won 14 medals so far at the Asian Games, as Kwon Kwang Il excelled in the men's 10-meter running target mixed shooting, earning a silver medal, while Mun Song Hui achieved the same rank in the women's 70kg-category judo competition. Kim Su Jong claimed third place in the women's individual artistic gymnastics.
Read more: DPRK to take part in Asian Games, end years-long sporting isolation
The last time the DPRK took part in international competitions was in 2018, as a result of a closed border policy the nation implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The policy led to a series of events culminating in a ban on DPRK athletes competing under their national flag. The ban was put in place after the World Anti-Doping Agency was barred from collecting samples to test DPRK athletes, which came in line with the broader closed border policy.
However, the Asian Olympic Council decided not to implement the doping agency's decision and allowed DPRK athletes to compete under their flag after taking into account the circumstances of the pandemic.
Read More: Up to 200 athletes at Asian Games tested for doping so far: Council
Men's and women's teams excel in football
The DPRK's women's football team advanced to the knockout stages of the Asian Games after scoring an outstanding total of 17 goals and conceding none in two games against Singapore.
On the other hand, the men's team secured their spot in the Asian Games Round of 16 by winning all three of their consecutive group-stage matches in Group 6. They emerged as group leaders, scoring a total of four goals while not conceding any in a group that included Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
The men's team then went on to advance to the quarter-finals after beating Bahrain 2-0 in the Round of 16.
