Kim Sung Guk, the only boxer of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to take part in the Beijing Olympic Games, vows to win a gold medal for his country.

Kim was in a good shape and had an ambition to crown in Beijing, his coach Byon Sung Ho told Choson Sinbo, a newspaper run by ethnic Koreans in Japan.

Kim competed in the 57-kilogram class at the 2004 Athens Olympics and won a silver medal. "He never forgot the gold medal slipping from his hand four years ago," said coach Byon, adding that Kim had been making great efforts to overcome his shortages on physical power, techniques and tactics ever since then.

In the international boxing championships held in Chinese Taibei in May, Kim defeated boxers from the United States, Russia, Kazakhstan and Thailand and won the gold medal. A coach from Thailand praised that Kim "had no weakness to exploit on physical power and techniques."

(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2008)