Woo Sang-hyeok (28, Yongin City Hall) successfully passed the first hurdle in securing the first-ever medal for South Korea in athletics track & field history.
On the 7th (Korean time), Woo Sang-hyeok cleared 2.27m to finish tied for 3rd place in the men's high jump qualifying round at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Stade de France in Paris, France.
That day, Woo easily cleared 2.15m, 2.20m, and 2.24m all on his first attempts. Although he failed his first attempt at 2.27m, he cleared the bar on his second attempt, securing his place in the final. Woo celebrated his back-to-back Olympic final qualifications with a roar.
On the 7th (local time), Woo Sang-hyeok, who participated in the high jump qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics held at Stade de France in Paris, France, is celebrating after successfully clearing 2.27m on his second attempt. [Photo by Yonhap News]
In the men's high jump at the Paris Olympics, athletes advance to the final by clearing 2.29m or ranking among the top 12 out of 31 competitors. On this day, five athletes cleared 2.27m, and Woo secured his spot in the final without needing to attempt 2.29m. An additional seven athletes who cleared 2.24m also earned tickets to the final.
Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar), another Tokyo Olympic champion and regarded as the top active jumper, experienced a muscle cramp in his left calf after failing his first attempt at 2.27m but cleared the bar on his second attempt, tying for 3rd place with Woo.
Hamish Kerr (New Zealand) failed his first and second attempts at 2.20m but cleared it on his third attempt to overcome the crisis. He also failed his first attempt at 2.24m but cleared it on his second attempt and succeeded on his first attempt at 2.27m, finishing second in the qualifiers.
Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy), co-gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, advanced to the final in a tie for 6th place by clearing 2.24m.
Jovan Harrison (USA), who was considered a favorite to win, failed to clear 2.24m and was eliminated in the qualifiers.
In the qualifiers, Shelby McEwen (USA) was the only athlete to complete the competition without a single failure.
Woo Sang-hyeok was eliminated in the qualifiers at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, his first Olympic appearance, with a clearance of 2.26m. However, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, he cleared 2.29m in the qualifiers to secure a spot in the final and set a then-Korean record of 2.35m in the final, finishing 4th?the highest ever for South Korean track & field.
Since liberation, South Korea has produced only two Olympic medalists in athletics: Hwang Young-cho (gold medalist in Barcelona 1992) and Lee Bong-ju (silver medalist in Atlanta 1996). Both medals came from road events in the marathon.
Woo aims to surpass his own 'highest ranking in Korean athletics track & field' set in Tokyo and pursue a medal. Before challenging for a medal, Woo set a historic record for Korean athletics track & field. Woo is the first Korean athlete to advance to the final round in an Olympic athletics track & field event that involves qualifying rounds, doing so in two consecutive Olympics. He is the first Korean track & field athlete to reach the Olympic final stage in 25 years since Lee Jin-taek, who finished 8th in the men's high jump final after qualifying rounds at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In Paris, Woo set a 'first' record. Since the Tokyo Olympics, Woo has established several new milestones in Korean athletics history, including winning the 2022 World Indoor Championships (2.34m), finishing second at the outdoor World Championships (2.35m), and winning the 2023 Diamond League Final (2.35m). However, Woo said enthusiastically, "The World Championships and Diamond League were preparation stages for the Paris Olympics," adding, "Winning a medal at the Paris Olympics is my life goal." Woo will leap toward a medal in the men's high jump final starting at 2 a.m. Korean time on the 11th.
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