North Korea has won far more Olympic medals in weightlifting than any other sport but it has not entered the opening qualifying event for Paris 2024 and appears likely to miss the Olympic Games for a second time.

North Korea’s decision not to compete at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will have a bigger effect in weightlifting than in any other sport, judged by past performance and the current qualifying rankings.

North Korea has not entered a team for the biggest event on this year’s weightlifting calendar – and has passed up a chance to register its greatest sporting triumph on American soil.

Donald Trump's least favourite nation is all set to register the biggest sporting triumph in its 69-year existence - in the United States.

Om Yun-chol set three Summer Universiade records to claim the first of a hat-trick of weightlifting gold medals for North Korea as they finished top of the day one medals table here.

Eight years after winning the Olympic 56 kilograms weightlifting title on the home soil of Beijing as a 17-year-old, China’s Long Qingquan returned to the top of the podium after a titanic and dramatic contest with North Korea’s defending champion Om Yun Chol – and it took a world record total of 307kg to do it.

The final list of entries for next month’s World Weightlifting Championships has been revealed, with five Olympic and 10 world champions due to compete at the event in Houston.