Woo Sang-hyeok's Third Medal Challenge "I Will Surpass the Korean Record" [Paris Olympics]

High Jump Qualifiers Today... Must Enter Top 12 to Advance to Finals
Personal Best 2m36... Aiming to Surpass 2m33 This Year

Lee Sang-hyeok (Yongin City Hall), the idol of men's high jump in athletics, will challenge for an Olympic medal again. He will compete in the high jump qualifiers at 5:05 PM (Korean time) on the 7th at Stade de France in Paris, France. To advance to the finals, he must rank within the top 12.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This is his third Olympic appearance. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, he failed to advance to the finals with a jump of 2.26m. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, he cleared 2.35m and achieved 4th place, the highest ever Olympic result for Korean athletics across all track and field events.

Since then, Lee Sang-hyeok has risen as a world-class jumper. He won the 2022 World Indoor Championships by clearing 2.34m and took 2nd place at the outdoor World Championships by surpassing 2.35m. Last year, he claimed the top spot at the Diamond League Final with a 2.35m jump.

His personal best is 2.36m. This year, he has cleared 2.33m. To improve his condition, Lee trained for three weeks at a pre-camp set up by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee near Paris. He entered the Olympic Village on the 4th. He said, "I will challenge to set not only my best record of the season but also a new Korean record in Paris."

Contenders competing for the medal include Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy), Hamish Kerr (New Zealand), Jarvis Harrison and Shelby McEwen (both USA), and Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar). At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Tamberi and Barshim both cleared 2.37m and shared the gold medal.