To the sound of an instrumental version of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” — and the coordinated chanting of North Korea’s tightly controlled cheering squad — figure skaters Ryom Tae Ok, 19, and Kim Ju Sik, 25, took to the ice Wednesday in their Olympic debut.
The athletes earned a personal best in their short program and were well-received by the crowd in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The two skaters are the only North Korean athletes to have qualified for the Olympic Games through an international competition, even before a diplomatic agreement allowed for North Korean athletes to participate. (Ryom and Kim qualified at an event in Germany this past fall and were permitted to compete even though North Korea’s Olympic Committee missed a registration deadline.)
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