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The only athletes to qualify for the the 2018 winter Olympics on merit from North Korea have made their debut at the winter Olympics and qualified for the next round. 

Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik showed off an electric performance to an instrumental cover of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life" and they were cheered on as they performed their routine. 

Their performance on Wednesday which the duo opened  with a triple twist lift earned them their personal best score for the short program with 69.40 points placing them in 11th place. North Korean cheerleaders who wore red and white tracksuits and waved North Korean flags cheered them on through their scintillating display. The skaters will compete in the long program on Thursday.

Their coach Bruno Marcotte had earlier told BBC that "Right now to be realistic, their goal is to make it into the top 12, if they reach the top ten, then that would incredible."

The duo's performance drew plaudits from fans of the sport, both offline and online.