Alex Kreiger of USA (photo: Getty Image)
After the U.S. women's soccer team beat North Korea 2-0 on Tuesday in the first round of the 2011 Women's World Cup, North Korea manager Kwang Min Kim said his team's loss may have been because some of its players were recently struck by lightning.
"During training [in North Korea] our players were hit by lightning, and more than five of them were hospitalized," Kim said, according to the BBC. "The goalkeeper and the four defenders were most affected, and some midfielders as well."
“The physicians said the players were not capable of participating in the tournament.”Oddly, there was no mention of the lightning strike, which allegedly occurred June 8, until after Tuesday’s 2-0 loss.
“The fact that they played could be called abnormal, the result of very strong will,” said Kim.
As Brooks Peck of Yahoo Sports' Dirty Tackle sports blog says, "given the secretive nature of the North Koreans, we may never know if this is true or not. ... [And] it is curious that Kim only mentioned this freak occurrence after his team lost." (NPR)
Also, as we've said, North Korea is known to say some things that don't quite add up — such as the claim that it's the second happiest nation on Earth.
While the North Koreans certainly have a knack for telling tall tales about their losses, their creativity and imagination is even greater when it comes to doling out credit for their successes. Just last year before the World Cup in South Africa, men's coach Kim Jong-Hun told ESPN.com that he gets important advice during matches from North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, "using mobile phones that are not visible to the naked eye." According to the soccer skipper, Dear Leader developed the technology himself.
Of course, Kim Jong-il is no stranger to athletic achievement -- KCNA reported that he made 11 holes-in-one and shot 38 under par in his first round of golf in 2003. Or to invention -- one year later a state media report cited him as the creator of the hamburger, or as he termed it, "double bread with meat." (ESPN)
"During training [in North Korea] our players were hit by lightning, and more than five of them were hospitalized," Kim said, according to the BBC. "The goalkeeper and the four defenders were most affected, and some midfielders as well."
“The physicians said the players were not capable of participating in the tournament.”Oddly, there was no mention of the lightning strike, which allegedly occurred June 8, until after Tuesday’s 2-0 loss.
“The fact that they played could be called abnormal, the result of very strong will,” said Kim.
As Brooks Peck of Yahoo Sports' Dirty Tackle sports blog says, "given the secretive nature of the North Koreans, we may never know if this is true or not. ... [And] it is curious that Kim only mentioned this freak occurrence after his team lost." (NPR)
Also, as we've said, North Korea is known to say some things that don't quite add up — such as the claim that it's the second happiest nation on Earth.
While the North Koreans certainly have a knack for telling tall tales about their losses, their creativity and imagination is even greater when it comes to doling out credit for their successes. Just last year before the World Cup in South Africa, men's coach Kim Jong-Hun told ESPN.com that he gets important advice during matches from North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, "using mobile phones that are not visible to the naked eye." According to the soccer skipper, Dear Leader developed the technology himself.
Of course, Kim Jong-il is no stranger to athletic achievement -- KCNA reported that he made 11 holes-in-one and shot 38 under par in his first round of golf in 2003. Or to invention -- one year later a state media report cited him as the creator of the hamburger, or as he termed it, "double bread with meat." (ESPN)
RSS Feed
