Woo Sang-hyuk, 2m 25 in the First Outdoor Game of the Season where he Played with his Head Shaved... “Higher Next Time”
Although he won the KBS Cup, his record showed disappointment... “The important thing is the Paris Olympics”
‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyuk (28, Yongin City Hall), who shaved his head and competed in his first outdoor competition in 2024, left a somewhat disappointing record of 2m25.
Woo Sang-hyuk jumped 2m25 in the men's high jump collegiate and general division competition at the 52nd KBS National Athletics Championships held at Yecheon Stadium in Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 3rd, and ended the match after being blocked by the 2m30 wall.
After the game, Woo Sang-hyuk said, "I finished the training camp in Hong Kong well, but it's disappointing that I couldn't achieve the record I wanted." 파워볼
He added, "We will play in Doha, Qatar, on the 9th and in Tokyo, Japan, on the 19th.
We will produce better results then."
He also said, "Right now I only think about the Paris Olympics.
“The fact that I shaved my head means that I will focus on the Olympics,” he said, adding, “I will prepare diligently for the remaining 100 days to participate in the Paris Olympics without regrets.”
The men’s high jump finals at the Paris Olympics will be held on August 11, Korean time.
To be precise, With 100 days left until the Paris Olympics finals, Woo Sang-hyuk played his first outdoor game of the season.
The match on this day started from 1m 90, but Woo Sang-hyuk made his first jump at 2m 19.
Woo Sang-hyuk succeeded in 2m19 in the first period, confirming his victory in this competition.
Second place was Kim Joo-eun (Goyang City Hall) with over 2m 16, and third place was Choi Jin-woo (Yongin City Hall) with 2m 13.
Woo Sang-hyuk, who raised the bar to 2m 25, touched the bar in the first period.
After inspecting Jo Ju-ro, Woo Sang-hyuk, who started in the second period, easily surpassed 2m25.
However, he failed 2m30 three times in a row, failing to challenge the 'record goal' of 2m37 in 2024.
Woo Sang-hyuk's personal best records are 2m 36 indoors and 2m 35 outdoors.
2m 36 is also the Korean record for men's high jump.
Kim Do-kyun, the coach of the Korean athletics vertical leap team, and Woo Sang-hyuk believe that 2m37 is the height at which they can win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and are consistently challenging 2m37.
In reality, 2m37 is the height that can guarantee victory in a major track and field competition.
The first place record at the 2019 Doha World Championships (Mutaz Essa Barsim), the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (Barsim and Gianmarco Tamberi joint winner), and the 2022 Eugene World Championships (Barsim) was also 2m 37.
At the 2023 Budapest World Championships, Tamberg won with 2m 36.
Woo Sang-hyuk, who played his first outdoor game this season in Korea, leaves for Doha, Qatar late in the afternoon on the 5th.
‘The best active jumper’ Barsim (Qatar) will join hands with the Qatar Athletics Federation to hold the ‘What Gravity Challenge’ at the Katara Amphitheater in Doha on the 9th.
Barshim pledged, “I will create a competition where the world’s top 12 men’s high jumpers can jump,” and jumpers who command the world stage actually responded to Barshim’s invitation.
Woo Sang-hyuk is also a player that Barshim put a lot of effort into.
Last February, Woo Sang-hyuk and Barshim trained in Germany, and during this time, Barshim contacted Woo Sang-hyuk and politely asked him to participate in the competition.
Woo Sang-hyuk readily responded to Barsim’s request.
Afterwards, Woo Sang-hyuk moves to Japan and participates in the 2024 Seiko Golden Grand Prix held in Tokyo, Japan on the 19th, aiming for his second consecutive victory in the competition.
Woo Sang-hyuk promised, “I will correct the problems discovered today and show a better performance in the remaining two competitions in May.”