North Korea has won its first Olympic medal in eight years, taking home the silver in the mixed-doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics.
The North Korean duo of Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong put up a strong fight but ultimately fell to China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in a thrilling match.
China, the undisputed table tennis powerhouse, claimed its first gold medal of the Olympics with the win.
The Chinese pair, ranked number one in the world, dominated the match, taking the title with an 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 victory.
North Korea’s medal is its first since the 2016 Rio Olympics and comes after the country skipped the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns.
Ri and Kim will share the podium with South Korean duo Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin, who won bronze.
The Chinese pair received overwhelming support from the crowd at the South Paris Arena and took control of the match early on.
Despite a strong challenge from North Korea, China held on to secure the gold medal.
