North Korea Backs Their Judo Players

Since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, North Korea has failed to win a single gold medal in the games and is therefore eagerly hoping for a change of fortunes in Beijing, pinning its highest hopes on judo heroine Kye Sun-hui and the women's football team.
Kye, at dinner in a North Korean restaurant near the country’s embassy in Bejiing some time ago, was quoted by a waiter as saying she was confident she can win gold. She reportedly made the remarks when she ordered ox tail soup after eating a large quantity of steak tartar and raw fish.
Kye emerged as a judo star after winning gold in the women's 48 kg class by beating Ryoko Tamura, who had enjoyed an 84-match winning streak, at the Atlanta Olympics. She won bronze in the 52 kg class in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and silver in the 57 kg class in the Athens Olympics in 2004. After winning the world judo championships for the fourth consecutive time last year, she is now the North Koreans’ great hope for the Olympics.