North Korean lifts 3 times body weight

LONDON - The Associated Press

North Korea's Yun Chol Om competes on the 56Kg Group B weightlifting competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games July 29, 2012. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler

North Korea’s Om Yun Chol on Sunday joined an exclusive group of weightlifters who have lifted three times their body weight.

Om, who stands just 1.52 meters tall, also set an Olympic record when he cleared 168 kilograms in the clean and jerk in the men’s 56-kilogram category.
 
Om’s achievement was even more impressive considering he was competing in the "B” group with lower-ranked lifters. Medal contenders generally compete in the "A” group scheduled for later Sunday.
 
Om must now wait to see if any lifters in the "A” can match his 293-kilogram total.
 
Only a handful of lifters have cleared three times their body weight before, including Halil Mutlu and Naim Suleymanoglu of Turkey.