Weightlifter Om thanks ‘Great Leader’

North Korean weightlifter Om Yun-Chol struck gold with a remarkable world record-equalling clean and jerk Sunday — and then thanked his reclusive homeland’s “Great Leader” and “Great Comrade”.

Om, in a tactical move to put pressure on China’s two-time world champion Wu Jingbiao in the -56kg, surprisingly opted to join the morning’s B group — usually for lifters hoisting lesser weights than the afternoon’s A group.

And the switch worked wonders as Wu, lifting in the later session, was unable to match Om’s combined total of 293kg, which included an Olympic record of 168kg in the clean and jerk.

That lift equalled Mutlu Halil of Turkey’s world record and also saw Om become only the fifth man in history to lift three times his bodyweight.

Wu claimed silver with 289kg (133, 156), with Azerbaijan teenager Valentin Hristov taking bronze on 286kg.

North Korea’s Om, who placed sixth at last year’s world championships, credited the communist country’s late “Great Leader” Kim Jong-Il and his son and successor, “Great Comrade” Kim Jong-Un.

“There are no secrets. The reason for my improvement and how I won the gold medal is down to the warm love of the Great Leader Kim Jong-Il and the Great Comrade Kim Jong-Un.”