LONDON -- Yang Hak-seon, the slightly built artistic gymnast with a specialty in vault, is carrying the weight of the nation on his tiny shoulders these days.

South Korea hasn't won an Olympic gold in gymnastics, and Yang, generously listed at 160 centimeters, is being seen as the one athlete who can end the drought at this year's Olympic Games here.

High hopes are well warranted. Yang is the reigning world champion in vault. He is also one of the chosen gymnasts with a new move named after him by the International Gymnastics Federation.

The element, simply called the Yang Hak-seon, involves three full twist turns after a handspring forward takeoff. Its start value is 7.4, two-tenths of a point better than any other vault routine.

But such lofty expectations can be too much to handle for a 19-year-old competing in his first Olympics. Gymnastic coaches and even Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) officials have tried to shield the soft-spoken Yang from the media in the buildup to the Olympics, set to begin this Friday.

Following the welcome ceremony for the South Korean delegation at the athletes' village Wednesday, Yang admitted he had felt stressed out under the burden. But he's since adopted a different outlook on his Olympic prospects.

"Before, when I had bad practices, I would get down on myself and feel even more pressure mounting," Yang said. "But now, I realize competing in the Olympics is something I have to do anyway. So I just try to stay optimistic all the time."

Yang arrived in London last week as one of the first South Korean Olympians here, and his competition begins Saturday, a day after the opening ceremony, with the men's qualification round. He said he had trouble getting to sleep early.

"There were times when I wished this were all just a dream," he said. "But now, I just try to smile and laugh as much as I can and think positive thoughts."

Yang admitted he still gets a bit tight when his practices don't go well. Earlier Wednesday, he tried his namesake move but slipped on the landing.

"When things like that happen in real competition, I am in big trouble," Yang said. "But at the same time, I've learned how to better prepare for the Olympics. That's one positive I take from that experience."

Cho Sung-dong, the head coach of the men's team, said he isn't too concerned about his protege, adding Yang is "peaking at the right time."

And when some poor practice runs bother him, Yang has discovered a new way of beating the stress.

"The other day, I went out with my older teammates and played foosball," Yang said with a sheepish grin. "I beat them all." (Yonhap News)