‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyuk (27, Yongin City Hall) smiled brightly while holding the diamond-shaped trophy.
There have already been several new milestones in Korean athletics, including 4th place at the Tokyo Olympics (2m 35), victory at the 2022 World Indoor Championships (2m 34), victory in the Diamond League individual competition (2m 33 at the 2022 Doha Games), and 2nd place at the 2022 World Championships (2m 35). A brilliant line has been added to Seun Woo Sang-hyuk’s resume: ‘Win the Diamond League Finals.’
Woo Sang-hyuk surpassed 2m35 and reached the top in the men’s high jump competition at the 2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA on the 17th (Korean time).
The Diamond League Final is a competition that track and field athletes consider to be the second most important event after the Olympics and World Championships.
Woo Sang-hyuk became the first Korean player to advance to the Diamond League Finals and even won the championship trophy.
After the game, Woo Sang-hyuk said in a phone call with Yonhap News, “I’m in a daze right now. I don’t know what words to express my feelings,” and then took a breath and said, “Winning the Diamond League Final has been one of my lifelong goals. It feels really good.” said.
On this day, Woo Sang-hyuk cleared 2m 15, 2m 20, 2m 25, 2m 29, and 2m 33 all in the first period.
Norbert Kowielski (26, Poland) and Juvon Harrison (24, USA) also exceeded 2m33, but the only jumper that exceeded 2m35 was Woo Sang-hyuk.
Sanghyuk Woo confirmed his victory by exceeding 2m35 in the third period.
He said, “I prepared really hard for this competition. To win, you have to be lucky, and today everything came together.” He added, “I only placed 6th (2m29) at the Budapest World Championships last August, but I am confident that ‘there are many competitions left’. “I comforted him. Once I got rid of the obsession, my records got better,” he explained the ‘secret to winning.’
National team coach Kim Do-gyun, who Woo Sang-hyuk calls his ‘benefactor’, said, “I tried to quickly shake off my regrets at the Budapest World Championships,” and added, “I placed third (2m31) in the Zurich Diamond League (September 1), but my performance was good. I felt pressure. After getting out of the game, I thought, “I played the best game of the season today.”
In fact, this year, Woo Sang-hyuk struggled with injuries at the beginning of the season, including heel pain and sinusitis surgery.
Unfortunately, they finished second in the Doha Diamond League in May and Florence in June, and finished sixth in Budapest in August, where they aimed to become the first Korean team to win two consecutive World Championships medals.
However, Woo Sang-hyuk was not frustrated.
Woo Sang-hyuk said, “On the day of the Budapest World Championships, I was only disappointed for one day. I wanted to focus more on the remaining competitions. After the World Championships, my remaining goal was to win the Diamond League Final and the Hangzhou Asian Games. I achieved my goal of winning the finals. “Now, I will work harder to win the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games,” he pledged.
Mutaz Essa Barsim (Qatar), the ‘best active jumper’, did not participate in this Diamond League Final.토토사이트
Woo Sang-hyuk said, “If Barshim participates, we can have a more interesting game.” He added, “The Diamond League Final is not the last game of the season. I will be happy from today when I won the final and until tomorrow when the ceremony for all the winners will be held, and I will go back to weight management and Asian Asian sports such as weight management.” “We will start preparing for the game,” he said.
On this day, Woo Sang-hyuk virtually secured the right to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The standard record for the Paris Olympics is 2m33, and the record recognition period is from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Woo Sang-hyuk passed the Paris Olympic standard record early on.
Woo Sang-hyuk said, “After passing the Paris Olympic standard record of 2m33, coach Kim Do-gyun said, ‘You can run more comfortably now. Do the game you want and come back.'” He added, “Now that I have passed the Paris Olympic standard record, the burden has been relieved, so I can easily run 2m35 as well.” “I was able to overcome it,” he recalled.
The Diamond League Finals will be held until the 18th.
After all games are over, the top performers from each event gather together and perform the ‘Champion Ceremony.’
Woo Sang-hyuk said, “A scene that I could only imagine will unfold tomorrow. This is how I am rewarded for my long efforts.” He added, “I want to enjoy this kind of joy at the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Paris Olympics. I am grateful to the people who supported me. I will perform at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which are two weeks away.” “I will do my best to win,” he said.
Woo Sang-hyuk returns to Korea on the 19th and conducts finishing training for the Asian Games at the Jincheon National Team Athletes Village before leaving for Hangzhou on the 27th.