There is no question that North Korea is one of the most secretive nations in the world, allowing them to make a number of unnoticed advancements. Over the last few years, they have impressed in the field of sports, winning an array of medals in Olympic and world championship level events. Now, it seems that the country's secrets regarding training athletes have been revealed.
Back in 2014, North Korea managed to take home 15 medals in the sport of weightlifting alone. This is no doubt in line with Kim Jong-un's plans of turning his country into a global superpower in sports within the next couple of years. When it comes to why the North Koreans excel in this sport, the reason may as well be inborn.
"Short arms, long back and short legs... Chinese and the North Korean lifters have the ideal body dimensions to excel," British Weightlifting performance director Tommy Yule said to the BBC. While someone with longer limbs will excel in sports such as discus or sprinting, a person with shorter extremities is perfect for lifting.
A great example of this is North Korea's own Om Yun-Chol, who stands at a relatively short 5-feet tall and weighs in at 56 kilograms, putting him in the bantamweight division for weightlifting. At the 2012 Olympics held in London, he was able to lift over three times his own body weight to win gold at the event. He also set a new world record for his troubles.
North Korean sports officials have now also revealed how they are shaping their basketball squad to excel in the world stage. Their secret lies in the application of gymnastic techniques in their training regimen in order to increase the flexibility of the players. The Korean Mass Gymnastic Production Company is currently in charge of this program, according to the Olympic Channel.
Coaches and players alike have approved of the addition of rhythmic exercises during warm-ups. Players have stated that thanks to gymnastics, they felt as if the ball was one with their body when they are dribbling. Meanwhile, coaches have said that they have noticed their players' technical skills improve vastly during games since this trend began.
Watch how the North Korean men's weightlifting team trains in the video below: