High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok takes silver at Diamond League event

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok cleared 2.27 meters at a World Athletics Diamond League event at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Friday, earning a silver medal at the competition where he looked to defend his reigning champion title.

Woo Sang-hyeok competes in the men's high jump final at the Diamond League on Friday at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. [AFP/YONHAP]

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok cleared 2.27 meters at a World Athletics Diamond League event at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Friday, earning a silver medal at the competition where he looked to defend his reigning champion title.

The Diamond League is the top tier of World Athletics competition, with 15 events held in multiple countries throughout the year, starting in Qatar.

Woo became the first Korean ever to win a Diamond League event last May, beating Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim by three centimeters at Khalifa International Stadium, also in Doha.

The 27-year-old Korean high jumper competed with Barshim in this year’s event and surpassed him again.

They both managed 2.24 meters — Woo in one attempt and Barshim in two attempts — but a height of 2.27 meters was where they faced a real challenge.

Woo needed all three attempts to clear the bar. After an early stumble, he cleared 2.27 meters in three attempts.

Barshim, on the other hand, failed to clear the bar despite all three attempts, ultimately falling behind Woo and settling for bronze.

Woo went onto compete with JuVaughn Harrison of the United States, who cleared 2.3 meters in one attempt.

Woo looked to surpass the American high jumper by jumping straight to 2.32 meters, but failed to do so in all three attempts and ended the competition in second place.

Having booked first place, Harrison jumped even higher and was crowned as champion after clearing 2.32 meters in one attempt.

Although Woo failed to defend his title, his second-place finish shows that he is still able to compete at a top level despite not being 100 percent fit.

“I recovered to 90 to 95 percent, if my best fitness level was 100,” Woo was quoted as saying by local media.

He had issues with ankle and heel injuries during the event, which had been hindering his fitness since last October.

“I finished in first place in last year’s competition, but I came in second this year,” Woo told the Korea Association of Athletics Federation’s media team after the event. “I will prepare well for the next Diamond league event. I want to show a constantly improving form.”

Woo finished in fourth place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics two years ago with a height of 2.35 meters, setting a new Korean record and becoming the first Korean high jumper to reach an Olympics final since 1996.

Woo has racked up the accolades since then, winning gold at the 2022 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia last March to become the world indoor champion and taking gold at the Naju Athletics Championships in Naju, South Jeolla two months later.

Woo returned to Korea on Sunday and will prepare for the upcoming international events where he looks to medal.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships will start in Budapest, Hungary in August, before the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China the following month.

He will first compete at the 51st KBS Cup National Athletics Championships on Tuesday, which also serves as the national squad selection contest for the Asian Games.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]