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Ri Se-Gwang is the third person ever from North Korea to win gold, but even this couldn’t seem to cheer the vault champion up.

Instead, when he beat Russia’s Denis Ablyazin to take home the title, he looked absolutely devastated.

Ri collected his medal without cracking a single smile and even looked close to tears as the crowds applauded him – but they weren’t tears of joy.

Eagle-eyed viewers have tried to guess why Ri was so unhappy, having just won the accolade of a lifetime.

(Image: BBC)

Many believe he was emotional after getting a taste of freedom, while knowing that he will soon be heading back to North Korea.

The country is ruled by the militant dictator Kim Jong Un, who forces citizens to stay in line via a brutal totalitarian regime.

The divide between North and South Korea is so stark that an athlete who recently posed for hugs and selfies with a South Korean sportsman could face serious punishment when she gets home from Rio.

Viewers who witnessed Ri’s emotional prize-giving ceremony felt sorry for the athlete and voiced their concerns online.

One person said: “He has seen the free world but he knows that he must go back, for the sake of his family.”

Another added: “Poor fella, I do wish him the best. No one deserves to live in fear and sadness, all people in the world deserve hope and freedom.”

(Image: BBC)

North Korean officials have accompanied athletes to Rio to keep the competitors in line.

They have even confiscated the free phones given to athletes, amid fears they would try to contact the outside world.

And it's not just security North Korea is worried about – Kim Jong Un has demanded that his sportsmen bring home at least five gold medals during the games, or face being sent to concentration camps.

Kim's competitive country is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to be the best.

In recent weeks, the country has come under increased scrutiny as one of its post senior politicians “declared war” on the US.